Saving Hermione
by Hermione15
Summary: Evil plans unveil for a human sacrifice, blackmail, and kidnapping using Hermione and Ginny. Harry and Ron must now fight to save the two girls and defeat the Dark Lord. R/Hr; H/G
1. The Last Ride

Saving Hermione - Ch. 1: The Last Ride  
  
  
  
Stepping through the barrier hidden between Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station and looking up at the great scarlet steam engine for the seventh time in his life brought back reminiscent feelings to one seventeen- year-old's fiery red head.  
  
Ron Weasley merged into the crowd of Hogwarts' students looking for the two familiar faces which he had met here for the very first time seven years ago. He had not seen those two faces for two months due to his vacation in Egypt with his older brother Bill.  
  
Over the summer, Ron had helped Bill with his reports for work and had become more studious and attentive to his work. During this summer he also helped Bill out in the field, working in the pyramids and helping haul the treasure the uncovered out of their dusty graves. Do to this physical labor (not to mention the time he spent in the weight room building up to work in the field) he had become much more healthy over the two months of summer.  
  
Just then, he spotted two heads of hair that looked extremely like those of his two best friends. One was a big, bushy, brown head of hair while the other was a mess of wild jet black. As Ron stepped forward through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of the owner of the black head first. Harry Potter had had another growth spurt over the summer, bringing him to 6'1", which was still shorter compared to Ron's towering 6'4" height. After seven years of Quidditch, Harry had developed a hard set of muscles in arms and chest that was visible through his black T-shirt. Ron looked to see into his friend's bright emerald green eyes only to see them looking over his shoulder at something. Ron looked back to find his little sister, Ginny, standing right behind him smiling sweetly back at Harry's (much to the amusement of Ron) big, goofy grin. Harry was not the only one to notice Ginny's summer change. Boys all over the station were eyeing her. Ginny had changed from the gawky, insecure teenage girl into a confident woman over her vacation. Ron was just glad that Harry was finally taking notice. "Took him long enough," Ron thought.  
  
Just then his attentions turned to Hermione who was looking at him in awe, almost like the look he was giving her. Hermione had made a change similar to Ginny's, only a little more defined. She had grown a bit taller, to about 5'7", and had very noticeable curves in what any boy would consider all the right places. She wasn't stick thin, ("How could you be with a full figure," he thought), but not by any means heavy. Her hair was still the bushy mess it always was, just the way he had always liked it. And her eyes were a deeper chocolate brown. Her skin, usually pale from so much time inside a big drafty castle, was tanned a light gold from her vacation in Italy. She had her lips played into a serene smile as he finally met her eyes and lifted her hand to wave him over, which he obediently did.  
  
Hermione Granger instantly found one of the two boys she was seeking. She found Harry after two months in Italy with her parents. "Ah, I see you've grown again," she stated as she came up behind him. He turned around and pretended not to see her while looking over her head and replied, "What? Who said that?!" He then smiled and looked down at her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Hermione had always been grateful for Harry's companionship. He was like the brother she never had. He worried about her and protected her that way a bigger sibling would. Her other best friend did this also, but only in a different way.  
  
"Have you seen Ron yet?" he asked.  
  
"No, I was about to ask you the same."  
  
A moment later, their fellow Gryffindors walked up and they proceeded to talk to their four friends about who did what over the summer  
  
  
  
Just as she was looking around for Ron again during her conversation with Lavender, she spotted him. He was very easy to find due to his vibrant red Weasley hair. He was pushing his trolley through a crowd of fourth years who stared open-mouthed at him as he passed. Hermione could immediately see why. She remembered her letters from him over the summer stating that he was exercising a lot, but she didn't know this meant becoming 6'4" and probably weighing in at 250 pounds. His muscles bulged through his thin blue shirt and blue jeans. His red hair seemed to be a little lighter from the Egyptian sun and his skin was also a little darker. She trailed her gaze to his eyes only to see them looking behind his shoulder at his sister, Ginny, with an amused look on his face and then back at Harry. Realization quickly struck Hermione when she looked back at Harry to see his face. She nearly laughed aloud at his grin.  
  
She looked back at Ron to once more stand in disbelief at his newly acquired look. She looked up to see his dark blue eyes turn in her direction and to her utmost amazement (and slight embarrassment) to see those eyes look her up and down and his jaw drop. She ignored this and smiled when his eyes returned to hers and she waved her hand as an invitation to join them.  
  
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Ron strolled over and stopped his trolley on the side of Hermione with his little sister pulling up right next to Harry. "Well, hello Hermione," he greeted, almost pompously like. "Hello, Ronald," she replied equally as pompous. He then grinned and lifted her up easily into his huge arms and hugged her tightly while she shrieked in surprise. When he set her down she was laughing and grinning in the way that reminded Ron proudly of himself. He then turned to Harry who has just finished saying hello to Ginny with a brief, but firm, hug. Hermione never understood the way boys greeted each other, but it must have meant something because they did it every time they hadn't seen one another for a while. The boys shook hands and pulled into a brief hug with slap the others back with a grunted hello. When they finished this, Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.  
  
Ginny and Hermione exchanged hugs and welcomes and began talking rapidly about their summers. It was the boys turn to roll their eyes.  
  
Harry and Ron decided to load their trunks while they discussed their own vacations. Harry had, as usual, spent his summer at the Dursley's. Although according to him, it was much more bearable because of his sudden height changed which made him much taller than his uncle or cousin. And with newfound height and muscle, they all were more frightened than before.  
  
  
  
After they had both loaded their trunks they came out of the train to see the girls tugging their trunks off the trolleys. Ginny was having a tough time with her, but Hermione might as well be trying to move Hogwarts castle due to all the books piled neatly in hers. The boys watched with amusement for a few moments until Ginny noticed them there. "Well? Are you gits just going to stand there or are you going to be gentlemen and help?" she asked them irritably. Before they could answer with a sarcastic answer, Hermione decided to chime in and use some of the reverse psychology she learned over the summer. "Don't bother Gin, they won't help anyways because their lazy and probably couldn't lift either of our trunks!" Ginny failed miserably at hiding a laugh at the looks on the boys faces. They both looked highly offended and stalked over without a word. Harry picked up Ginny's trunk and carried it away while Ron did the same with Hermione's while shooting glare at her. The girls stood back and watched while waiting till the boys were safely on the train to laugh out loud at their two friends.  
  
When the boys came out and found them laughing, they shared in their own joke. They new exactly what the girls had done. Ron had also learned about many new things this summer, including levels of psychology, and had explained it to Harry on the train. They both said that they were about to pick up the trunks anyways, so no bother.  
  
When the girls stopped laughing, the whistle blew from somewhere signaling them to board the train. After saying their goodbyes to the Weasleys, Harry climbed on followed by Ginny, and then Hermione. Ron was last and before Hermione had a chance to fully enter the compartment, Ron had pulled her back in the hall and whispered behind her, in her ear, not unnoticing the shudder she gave at his breath on her neck, "Nice reverse psychology. I was planning on using it myself this year. Guess I will have to get my revenge on you. That bloody trunk was heavy!" She froze and turned around with a look of utter disbelief on her face. He walked passed her into the compartment grinning widely. Hermione followed a moment later with an annoyed look on her face.  
  
A few hours into the train ride, Ginny was reluctantly dragged off by her 6th year Gryffindor friends from her seat next to Harry into another compartment. This left Hermione with her book, and Harry and Ron with Exploding Snap.  
  
An hour before they arrived at Hogsmeade, Hermione suggested they change into their robes. The boys agreed and left the another compartment to give Hermione her privacy. The only open compartment was at the other end of the train. When they finished changing, the walked slowly back to their compartment. They were about to walk in when they noticed the door ajar and voices coming from inside. Voices that sounded like an angry Hermione, a trying-to-be-charming Draco, and the grunts and sniggers of Crabbe and Goyle. Quietly they listened outside.  
  
"I said go away Malfoy!"  
  
"Now why would I do that, little Mudblood?"  
  
The crack in the door, they could see Malfoy's figure, and it seemed, he too, had grown over the summer to a 6'0" frame and muscular build similar to Harry's. He towered over Hermione, edging his way closer to her with every sentence he spoke. She was standing almost flat against the wall with a defiant look on her face and her hand on her hips, her eyes darting to her robes, with her wand inside no doubt, on the other side of the compartment. She looked unafraid, but Ron could sense the fear coming from her. And if he could, Malfoy surely could.  
  
"Because if you don't I'll hex you all the way into next month!" she near shouted.  
  
"Now, I know perfect Granger wouldn't do such a thing," he said mockingly, again moving forward. She backed instinctively against the wall. Ron's blood was boiling now.  
  
"Oh, wouldn't I?" she managed to choke out.  
  
"No, that and because you are unarmed." He was only inches away now.  
  
"What do you want Malfoy?" She was definitely scared now.  
  
"You came back looking absolutely wonderful this year, Mudblood," he whispered huskily while leaning into her. The look on her face said she was about to cry while Crabbe and Goyle stood there smirking triumphantly. Ron's temper was about to exploded not only at Malfoy's insulting nickname for her but also the way she looked when he leaning into her.  
  
"Just do what I say and I won't tell anyone that you chose to sleep with Draco Malfoy," he simply stated, still pressing onto her full figure, making sure she could not throw her rock hard knee into what he thought was the most precious part if his anatomy.  
  
"You bastard," she whispered while tears welled up into her eyes. Ron could take no more, after his insults, threats, and making Hermione cry, THAT WAS IT!  
  
The door burst open with an almighty force from Ron's hand, shattering the glass, just as Malfoy was about to sexually assault Hermione in a way she would never forget. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the two bigger, dumber boys behind Ron and hexed them unconscious. Ron, on the other hand, left his wand forgotten as he headed over to Malfoy and wretched his body off of Hermione's. She has a look of utter relief on her face while Malfoy had a somewhat different look.  
  
As soon as Malfoy was pulled off of his very scared and very relieved best friend, Ron threw Malfoy onto the ground and landed his large fist into the smaller boy's jaw. Hearing a loud resounding crack broke Hermione out of her relieved daze to watch Ron beat Malfoy into oblivion while shouting obscenities and threats that made her mouth fall open in amazement and shock. She also felt little butterflies in her stomach as Ron said these things in her defense.  
  
"YOU GODDAMN LITTLE FERRET!" he shouted while delivering a blow to Malfoy's stomach. "DON'T EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN! DON'T LOOK AT HER AND DON'T SPEAK TO HER AGAIN!" he yelled again, putting his fist in a different place on Malfoy with each word.  
  
Ron then proceeded to lift the already bloodied boy up by the collar and slam him it the nearest wall and said in a deathly whisper, "If I ever again see or hear that you did touch her, so help me God I will make sure you never live to the day when you get the DarkMark. Do you understand?" Malfoy glared and reluctantly nodded.  
  
"Good," Ron said in the same deathly whisper. Then, just to seal the deal, he swiftly and suddenly brought up his knee and did what Hermione could not. With Malfoy doubled up in pain, Ron picked him up once more by the collar and threw him outside where he was followed by his cronies.  
  
Ron slid the door shut while Harry was left outside to get a teacher and explain, actually lie, about what happened to the three. With one quick flick of his wand, Ron had repaired the window. He turned around to see Hermione's delicate form curled up on the seat shaking uncontrollably while her body was racked with sobs. Ron didn't realize how much damage Malfoy had caused Hermione emotionally until now. He swiftly walked over to her and gathered her up in his arms to pull her into his lap while he sat down. He rocked her back and forth and smoothed her hair while whispering comforting into her ear. Neither of them noticed when Harry slid the door open and then quickly closed it again not wanting to disturb this obviously private moment and set off to find Ginny to inform her of the rides events.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N - So how was that for my first ever chapter? Please tell me I have at least some ability to write! I have a long drawn out plot for this story but if you don't like it let me know. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Aftermath and Late Night Talks

Saving Hermione - Ch. 2: Aftermath and Late Night Talks  
  
  
  
Hermione could feel his large hand in her hair and another on her waist, balancing her on his lap as she cried like a like what she thought was a big baby. She voiced and apology to Ron for being so overreacting and for wetting down the front of his new robes.  
  
When she said she was sorry for being a big baby, Ron suddenly got very angry and quickly sat her up so she could see his face. She was frightened for a moment when he moved so swiftly and by the look on his face but was comforted by his words.  
  
"Don't ever think that you are being a big baby for what the sick prat did to you," he said harshly and shook her shoulders a bit, as if trying to shake the sense of the absurdity of her statement into her. He then realized that he had frightened her and pulled her back to him quickly and went back to his soothing voice.  
  
"I acted like I was defenseless, I could have probably stopped him," she choked into his neck.  
  
"Not a full grown teenage boy with big dumb bodyguards and without a wan," he reasoned.  
  
"I could have brought up my knee, or done something," she argued what she thought was her stupidity.  
  
"You were scared and shocked. Probably didn't register to do something to defend yourself. And even if you'd done that, he would have hurt you and done what he wanted to forcefully." Just saying that made his blood boil again and bring Hermione into a fresh wave of frightened tears.  
  
"What if he tries it again?" she sounded almost hysterical and wanted an answer from the person who had saved her from what was and could have been a more traumatic experience.  
  
"He won't," he stated simply.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because of my promise. He knew I fully meant it. Besides, if he does, then this time remember just bring up your knee and then run like hell to me and I'll take care of the rest." He smiles at her and she gave a small smile back through her tears.  
  
A little later, Ron left to stand right outside the door so Hermione could change into her robes. All the while he was waiting, he wondered when he had felt the need to protect her so much. With a wand, you would never want to cross Hermione Granger on the warpath, but without, she was still a delicate girl that was no match to a hormone raging, and not to mention violent, seventeen year old boy when it came to brawn. He continued in his deep thoughts until the door slid back open and Hermione came out wearing her robes, that seemed to have shrunk a bit on her, causing Ron to become one of those hormone raging teenage boys, but he kept that to himself. He was already afraid of why he was protecting her so fiercely, and did not need the added pressure of figuring out why she looked so appealing in her robes all of a sudden.  
  
"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! " his brain yelled, "This is Hermione Granger, here, your best friend for seven years! Get a grip, you great stupid prat!"  
  
"But she still looks really gorgeous," another voice said somewhere in his mind.  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
They found Harry with Ginny in an empty compartment. When Ginny saw Hermione, she leapt up with a shriek and hugged her tightly, her mouth going about a mile a minute with "Are you okay!?!?" and "Wait until I get my hands on Malfoy..." With the last one both Ron and Harry stepped in and declared that she would do no such thing. They explained that they thought it was a good idea for neither of them to be anywhere around Malfoy without one of them around, just in case. The girls reluctantly agreed, and Ginny's mouth started going again.  
  
"I'm fine. Really." Hermione added this even though she wasn't just to reassure Ginny. Ron noticed this and grabbed her hand and led her to the door so they could get off the train.  
  
Outside on the platform, after saying a quick 'hello' to Hagrid, they waited for the carriages to arrive. Ron and Harry were turned away from Hermione talking with Seamus and Dean for minute while Ginny was again dragged away by her friends unwillingly. Hermione stood there and thought about what happened that day only an hour earlier and what would have happened if Ron and Harry hadn't showed up.  
  
She did not have a lot of time to think about this however, because right at that very moment, someone placed a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist and hauled her back into the train. When they didn't let go, Hermione panic. Then, she heard a silky voice in her ear say, "Miss me, Mudblood?" At that she started to cry. Big tears rolled down her cheeks onto the hands of Draco Malfoy. He noticed this and let her go. She opened her mouth to scream when Draco's hand connected firmly with her cheek. He hit her with such force, she fell back and hit the wall. She slowly stood up and stopped crying. She was not scared anymore, she was angry. Livid. No one hit her, especially Draco Malfoy. With that she looked him in the eye, walked over to him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and swiftly and hardly brought her knee up to the center of his legs. He cried out in pain and since Crabbe and Goyle weren't there she started to back away satisfied. What she didn't expect was for Draco to somehow gather his strength back that quickly and stand up and go after her. By the time she realized what he was doing, he was already standing and less than a foot away from her.  
  
She gathered her wits and bolted down the corridor of the train trying to find the nearest exit door with Malfoy trailing right behind her. She took this opportunity to let out a blood-curdling scream.  
  
Outside, Ron heard a scream that sounded like Hermione's, but that was impossible. She was right behind him. He turned and saw she had disappeared. That was all the conviction he needed to bolt onto the train and see a blonde head quickly catching up on a brown one. Before he could get there, Malfoy had leapt and tackled Hermione under him with her arms pinned behind her back. Ron stopped running and quietly snuck up on the two. Malfoy flipped Hermione on to he back and pinned her arms above her head. "Now, I will teach you a lesson that you deserve." With that, he took one hand and unfastened her robes in one fast movement and took the collar of her shirt in his hands ready to rip it right off, when something with such force knocked Draco off of her and all the way down the corridor. Hermione, shaken for what was the second time that day, looked down the hall at Malfoy to see his limp body sitting upright against the wall with a trickle of blood oozing down his temple.  
  
The next thing she felt was a fresh wave of pain. She looked down at her wrist and felt it. It was surely broken in several places from where Malfoy had handled it so roughly. She looked from her wrist to the absolutely livid face of Ron. He looked ready to kill and would have probably if Hermione had not been in the way. He still had his wand pointed to the place where Malfoy had been, but his eyes were looking at the blonde twenty feet down the hall. He started to walk towards Hermione, but nearly passed her as he headed to Draco, to no doubt do as much damaged as wizardly and humanly possible, but Hermione cried out and he stopped. He looked down at her holding her wrist and tears on her face. His look softened considerably and he picked her up with ease and carried her to the carriages that had arrived outside. He climbed into the last one and headed up to the school, all the while whispering and comforting her for the second time that day.  
  
  
  
When they arrived at school, Madame Pomfrey fixed Hermione up as good as new, although a little stiff, but not without many questions about how the injury came to be. Ron had talked with Hermione in the carriages and she said that he should tell no one but Harry and Ginny about what happened. So they told the matron that Hermione had fallen getting off the train. She asked no more questions, even though not quite believing it.  
  
  
  
After her wrist had been mended, Hermione and Ron made their way down to the Great Hall. They had missed the Sorting, but, to Ron's great appreciation, had not missed the feast. Only a few people realized that a certain permanently disgruntled blonde was absent. After dinner was finished and Professor Dumbledore gave his speech, the prefects led the first years to their common rooms. Soon after everyone went to bed.  
  
Hermione had gotten out of bed an hour after she went to bed. Thoughts kept racing through her mind. She went down to the common room only to find a tall, muscular body with a red head sitting on the couch already.  
  
Ron had a look of deep concentration on his face and he was staring into the last remains of the fire that caused the room to go almost completely dark, but still caused eerie shadows on the walls.  
  
She watched him for what seemed a few minutes until he spoke. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come here?" He asked this all quite suddenly and scared the living daylights of her. She jumped and he turned to her grinning. She couldn't help but smile back. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to him.  
  
They sat there in silence like that for what seemed to be an eternity but was in reality only a few minutes. Hermione finally broke the silence. "Couldn't sleep?" He looked at her and said, "I was just thinking what we should to do about Malfoy. I mean, we can't have him trying to fondle you and God knows what else every time he sees you." Hermione was silent but then said, "I don't think there is much we can do, unless we tell the professors, which I don't want to. I already have you and Harry thinking I can't protect myself, I don't need a whole army of bodyguards. Besides, I'm going to have to deal with it someday, right? I mean, I can't always have you or Harry or the professors around to help me out." She said all this very quickly. Ron looked at her quietly for a second before he spoke, "Why can't I always be there to protect you?" He was genuinely curious. She thought about this before she reasoned, "Because, someday I will be on my own, and I can't drag you around every where I go or ask you to do things like that! It's just absurd!" He knew she was right and he let her now that. He also stated, "I wish I could be there all the time." She sighed and replied, "Yes, I know and I appreciate that. Just like I appreciate what you did for me today. I keep thinking what would've happened if you hadn't shown up?" With that she let a tear roll down her cheek. Ron saw this and wiped it away with his thumb. Then he stated, quite matter-of-factly, "I will always be there to make sure he doesn't hurt you. I promise." He said this while looking directly into her brown eyes with his deep dark blue ones, in a way that made her stomach do flips. She, although despite the stomach flops, decided to argue that. "Don't say that, because there is no way you could be there all the time to pro-" but she never was able to finish her sentence due to a pair of soft lips crushing themselves onto hers. She was very surprised at first when she felt Ron's hand behind her hear and pulling her forward, but she quickly got over that.  
  
Ron was listening to her argue her point when he couldn't take it anymore and pulled her in for a kiss. It was a very gentle kiss. And it only lasted for a few minutes before he realized he was kissing Hermione. HERMIONE! This caused him to jump up all of a sudden, leaving Hermione with a cold feeling where his lips and hands has been and him with the sudden idea of kissing Hermione was not bad at all, it was wonderful. And that was what made him stop. She was his best friend for one; he couldn't do this with a friend as close as Hermione! And then there was the fact that she had been sexually assaulted twice this afternoon, which probably made her feel very upset that he was doing this now! He couldn't believe the audacity he had to do this to poor Hermione! She probably thought he was just like Malfoy now! And that is what he honestly thought in his head.  
  
With a mixture of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and anger with himself, he said. "I'm sorry," and left quickly. Hermione sat there and then went up to bed after a couple of minutes. She thought she had done something wrong, but no, wait, didn't he kiss her? She didn't do anything. Or maybe he just didn't mean it. That's what it was. It didn't mean anything. Just a kiss between friends, right? Then she thought, "Why do I feel so horrible then?" She fell asleep finally with tears in her eyes an hour later.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N - So what do you think? To many Malfoy rape attempts for the first two chapters? Let me know. Thanks! 


	3. Disturbing Plans

Saving Hermione - Ch. 3: Disturbing Plans  
  
  
  
Hermione awoke next morning feeling very tired and wanted nothing more than for her two beauty eccentric room mates to just go back to bed at this un- Godly hour and to quit making all that noise!  
  
But, to her dismay, she remembered last night and a something that felt like a vice gripped her heart. "Why do I care anyways?" she questioned herself. Hermione, one of the brightest witches in her class, can't figure out why she cared about something as trivial as a kiss. This slightly amused her and she grinned as she thought about what Harry and Ron would try to make of it.  
  
Ron. Her stomach once again did somersaults as she thought of him. She decided last night that when she saw him this morning, she would just pretend that it meant nothing and she would be okay with it. That's what Ron wanted, right? He didn't mean anything over it. He was just trying to comfort her, and doesn't want her to think it meant anything, right? Right!  
  
With this new resolve, she got up and dressed in her uniform and school robes, brush out (or at least tried to even get a brush through) her long wild hair. She walked downstairs only to be met by her two friends. She looked at Harry first and said her 'good morning' and turned to the red head with a smile and greeted him in the same way. And much to her confusion, he once again had look of disbelief on his face.  
  
  
  
Ron fell asleep last night thinking of how he could be so stupid and take advantage of Hermione while she was crying and after what happened that day. He felt everything from ashamed to guilty. He decided that he would apologize profusely that next morning ("Yes," he thought, "I really have changed. The old Ron would never apologize, and profusely!" He somewhat grinned).  
  
Ron woke up and dressed quickly, barely running a comb through his vibrant hair. He walked downstairs with Harry, who could sense that something was wrong but couldn't figure out what, and he wasn't about to ask. They found Ginny (or rather Harry did) and they conversed while they waited for Hermione.  
  
When she did come down the stairs of her dormitory a few minutes later, Ron kept his eyes on the floor. She walked up to Harry and greeted him. And then to his utter astonishment, she did the same to him with a smile! He couldn't believe it. She wasn't mad! "Unless.." he thought, "She thought it didn't mean anything!" It did though, it really did! He would also have to set her straight on this when he apologized, except that pouring out your heart and soul to someone can make you a little nervous.  
  
  
  
On the way to the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny, little deviates that they are, sped up ahead to give Ron and Hermione some space. This made Ron extremely uncomfortable, but if it did Hermione, she didn't let it show.  
  
Ron decided that it was now or never as passing by the Charms classroom and swiftly yanking Hermione in by her hand while she wasn't looking, causing a resounding shriek to escape her mouth.  
  
  
  
Harry and Ginny whirled around at the sound of Hermione's yelp. When Harry saw that it was a head of red that was taking her in the deserted classroom, he grinned widely at Ginny who had a grin identical to his.  
  
They decided to go on to breakfast. They walked in silence for while until Harry, being the awkward teenage boy that he was, said something. "You look very...nice today, Ginny." "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he thought, he could have said anything and he said 'nice.' "God, she probably thinks I'm crazy now."  
  
But, to Ginny, this simple statement made her smile uncontrollably as she muttered her 'thank you'. They walked the rest of the way in silence while Harry fought his internal battle and while Ginny just grinned goofily.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione where in the empty classroom. After he had calmed Hermione down and made her realize that he was not Malfoy and that he was not attacking her, she stopped struggling from her place in Ron's arms where he had been restraining her so she could not reach for her wand and curse him to within an inch of his life.  
  
"It's me, Hermione! Ouch! Don't hit me! Hey, don't even think about pulling that! HERMIONE!" With his last yell, she quit kicking and punching at the figure with her eyes closed, and looked up at him.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Yes, who'd you expect? You don't think Malfoy would be able to get you while I was right there with you, did you?" he gasped for air due to the punch he had received in his stomach.  
  
"Well, he did yesterday, didn't he?" she snapped back. "Don't do that!"  
  
"I'm sorry for scaring you and for letting Malfoy get to you a second time yesterday." He sounded very sorry and sincere, almost regretful.  
  
Noticing this, Hermione's glare softened. "It wasn't your fault. Like I said last night, you can't be there every time I need to be protected."  
  
The mention of last night caused Ron to freeze, and when Hermione had finished her sentence, she did the same.  
  
He gathered up his courage. "That's why I pulled you in here," he stated firmly.  
  
"Oh no!" She thought. "He's going to tell me that it meant nothing!" She didn't show any trace of shock or any emotion for that matter, and gave him a look to continue.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For kissing you last night. I shouldn't of taken advantage of you like that after what happened." He said this all very fast.  
  
"Oh, is that what you think you did? No, no-" But just like last night, she was not able to finish her sentence. Only this time it was not due to a kiss, but little Professor Flitwick coming in at that moment to set up him room for his first class.  
  
The two seventh years apologized and excused themselves to the Great Hall. They said nothing all the way there, but there was an unconscious settlement between them.  
  
While Ron was relived that she was not angry or hurt, Hermione was glad that he didn't say it didn't mean anything. For now, all was right with the two.  
  
  
  
Once in the Great Hall, both were smiling pleasantly, but were made extremely nervous by the grins Harry and Ginny wore on their faces.  
  
"What?" Ron asked as he sat down next to Harry, across from Hermione.  
  
"Nothin'." Harry said this too cheery for the likes of Ron, but let it go.  
  
Ginny was now giggling very rapidly and Hermione was looking at her like she had bright neon blue hair.  
  
The rest of breakfast passed by pleasantly until Malfoy came into the Hall. He looked straight at Hermione and smiled evilly as he passed the Gryffindor table. Hermione, knowing Ron was right there, glaring coldly back at Malfoy, smirked and pointed to Ron.  
  
Draco saw her finger point at something and looked at that something. Ron was staring at him with an unimaginable fury in his eyes. Malfoy glared icily back and walked away, not wanting to have his face broken again today. That was okay though, he would get his revenge soon enough. Once the Mudblood was alone, he'd have her. She would be one of many things to the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. She would be his Mudblood sacrifice to be initiated into the Dark Lord's Army of Death Eaters. She would also be the key to luring Harry Potter and Ron Weasley into the clutches of Voldemort, where he would be able to rid the world of that meddlesome 'trio' in one go. Draco grinned at this. He would be the one to deliver to Voldemort what the others, not even his father, could: the other best friend of Harry Potter. There was no way he could ever get Ron, but the Mudblood would prove far more useful to him for the sacrifice seeing as Ron was a pureblood, and not to mention a lot stronger than him. Granger was just a little thing that could be dealt with, no matter how many times her knees were thrown at him.  
  
  
  
Ron saw something in Malfoy's eyes that made him even more uneasy, if that was possible with Malfoy. He could sense that he was planning something, and that it involved harm to all of them, especially Hermione. He voiced this, but very quietly to Harry. Harry looked at Malfoy at the Slytherin table to see him eyeing the back of Hermione's head with such a look on his face, it disturbed Harry to no end.  
  
Hermione heard them talking about something, she couldn't make out all the words, but caught things like 'Hermione', 'Malfoy', and some profanity out of Ron's mouth that made her kick him under the table.  
  
"OW! What was that for!"  
  
"I heard that."  
  
Ron looked almost panicked. "Heard what?" he asked very quickly.  
  
She looked at him suspiciously for moment then spoke again. "Don't play dumb with me, Ronald Weasley. I heard you swear."  
  
"Ohhh, okay, sorry." He said this almost relieved it sounded like.  
  
Hermione new that something odd was going on. She came to the conclusion that the boys were going to avenge, for lack of a better description, her attacks yesterday tonight. She resolved to follow the boys tonight to see what they were planning.  
  
  
  
The rest of the day went by with only one more event. During Double Potions, Ron and Harry deliberately took seats next to Malfoy, only to hear him saying that he was having a meeting with his father on the grounds on the edge of the Forbidden Forest tonight to his two overgrown bodyguards.  
  
At dinner, Ron and Harry were talking in hushed whispers while Hermione tried to listen. But to her dismay she couldn't hear anything. Hermione new that something odd was going on. She came to the conclusion that the boys were going to avenge, for lack of a better description, her attacks yesterday tonight. She resolved to follow the boys tonight to see what they were planning.  
  
  
  
Later that night, she stayed in the common room after everyone went to bed. At midnight, she heard footsteps coming down from the boy's dormitory.  
  
"I know, but don't you think we should at least giver her some warning?"  
  
It sounded like they were arguing over something.  
  
"Yes, just not yet. We need to find out more before we run off telling her she might be in danger and scaring her to death." That was definitely Ron's hurried whisper.  
  
"I know but-" Harry stopped abruptly what he was about to say.  
  
"Who's in here?"  
  
"Me." Hermione came out from behind a couch and eyed the invisibility cloak and Marauder's Map in their hands.  
  
She looked at them and simply said, "Explain."  
  
They looked abashed, but reluctantly obliged. When they were finished, she said, "I'm coming with you."  
  
"The hell you will!" Ron argued.  
  
"Yes, I will," she stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Now, Hermione, this may be something you don't want to hear, seeing as how you are probably the once most at risk here, you'd be safer in the tower," Harry tried to reason with her.  
  
"No, I won't, because I'm coming with you."  
  
"I said that you will do no such thing." Ron was playing his dominant male card. But Hermione would not be pushed around.  
  
"I don't care, I'm coming."  
  
Ron's mouth dropped and gaped like a fish.  
  
Harry agreed finally, while Ron just looked disgruntled about the entire thing.  
  
"Fine!" he exclaimed. With that, they threw the cloak around them all (which was difficult with Ron and Harry's height) and made the map show it's secrets.  
  
They made their way out of the castle with no disruption except for Peeves nearly flying right into them while rounding a corner.  
  
When they were outside in the crisp autumn night air, they made their way in the general direction of Hagrid's hut. When they were at the edge of the forest, they quietly trekked their way down into the forest by about ten feet. None of them were very afraid of the forest anymore, but it was still enough to send chills up their spines. Suddenly, they heard a few voices coming from inside the forest about thirty feet into the forest.  
  
They followed the voices and come upon a small clearing where about three Death Eaters were with Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Do you understand what to do?" asked the voice of none other than Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Capture the Mudblood to be used for your initiation and sacrifice. We will not sacrifice her though until the other two come. After we have Weasley and Potter, we will kill her and you will receive the DarkMark. And bring me the Weasley girl, I could use something to blackmail Arthur Weasley into getting rid of that damned Muggle Protection Act." At these words, Hermione gasped, but ever so quietly, and Ron started out of the cloak to head towards Malfoy out of rage until he was stopped but Harry's hands on his robes.  
  
"Yes, sir. Thank you."  
  
At that, the three Death Eaters Apparated and left Draco to walk back to the castle.  
  
  
  
A/N - Whatcha think? Ya like? Thanks to my first two first reviewers, you were too kind. 


	4. Permanent Bodyguards and Christmas

Saving Hermione - Ch. 4: Permanent Bodyguards and Christmas  
  
  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked back to the castle at a good distance behind the blonde.  
  
Ron was seething, Hermione was silent, and Harry was thinking deeply.  
  
Both boys had instinctively taken sides on Hermione. Noticing that she was being squished, and nearly asphyxiated, she mentioned it to them.  
  
"Oh, sorry Hermione," apologized Harry absent-mindedly.  
  
"Yeah," chorused Ron, obviously in deep thought.  
  
As they made their way into the castle, they were silent, each trying to fathom what they had just heard.  
  
As they slipped into the common room, and let the cloak slide off their heads, they all looked to one another.  
  
"What do we do now?" Hermione sounded more than afraid.  
  
"We could go to Dumbledore," Harry tried, but Ron put a stop to this.  
  
"We don't want to cause a big uproar about this now, he is already heading up the Order, and the school, maybe we should keep quite until Malfoy actually tries something."  
  
"He already has. Remember yesterday?"  
  
"Yes, but I stopped him then. And Harry and I can protect ourselves against the little ferret, one of us will just have to stay with you and Ginny wherever you go."  
  
"No you won't! I do not need permanent bodyguards! I can protect myself!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, just like you did yesterday, hmmm?"  
  
"Oh, don't give me that. I just couldn't reach my wand. That's all."  
  
"And what happens if he gets you without a wand, or takes it away while you aren't looking? We already know you can't bring him down for that long, as you proved yesterday, and that you can't outrun him. And what if he has Crabbe and Goyle with him?"  
  
Hermione just stood there looking very angry at the fact that he was right and that she would indeed need their help.  
  
"Fine, do whatever makes you feel better." Then Hermione suddenly remembered Ron's hate for the library.  
  
Grinning, she stated, "That just means that you'll have to spend all the time that I do in the library."  
  
"That's quite alright. I've come to enjoy reading over the summer and am sure I could find something to do."  
  
"Good, then. You can follow her to the library, cause I can only handle so much of that," Harry took this opportunity to put his say in.  
  
"Actually, maybe you should stay with Ginny." Ron only said this because he realized that Harry was noticing Ginny a lot more and thought that it might be good for them to get to know each other better.  
  
"That's fine," Harry said, a little too quickly, causing Ron to look suspiciously at him, but grin from ear to ear as he turned back to Hermione.  
  
Hermione was sitting on the couch staring into the fire, much like she had last night. Only now you could see the fear in her chocolate eyes.  
  
Ron motioned for Harry to go to up and that he would be there in a minute. He then sat down besides his best friend.  
  
She looked at him and gave him a command that he knew neither he, nor Harry, could obey.  
  
"If Malfoy gets me, don't come after me."  
  
Ron stared at her like she had gone insane, and asked incredulously, "What?!?! You can't be serious."  
  
"I am. If they manage to kidnap me, send Dumbledore and the Aurors, but you and Harry stay here. I cannot have you die on my account. If I get kidnapped, it is my fault and neither of you should not have to pay for that."  
  
"Hermione, don't be ridiculous! How could we not come get you? How would I live if I knew that I could have done something and didn't! Harry, too!" He added this last part very quickly.  
  
"I don't care. Just don't do it."  
  
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I can't promise that." Ron was as stubborn as ever when saying this to her brown eyes.  
  
Her eyes started to well up. She knew exactly how he felt, she would do the same thing. She would do everything within her power to save him. The tears that fell down her cheeks were of fear, but also of gratitude.  
  
"Thank you, Ron." Ron just smiled.  
  
They turned their heads back to the fire. Ron very slowly put his hand over hers. they sat like that for a long time, until finally saying goodnight.  
  
  
  
The next day, Ginny heard about what had happened and proceeded to do what Ginny did in these situations: freak out. She stuck by Hermione every second she could spare and when she was not being dragged away by her friends. Ron and Harry did the same; only Harry stuck with Ginny when she went somewhere.  
  
This gave Hermione a lot of time in the library with Ron. He certainly had changed over the holidays. When he finished his homework he would pick up a book and read. He still liked to annoy Hermione almost every chance he was given, but he also talked to her a lot more. And not about Quidditch or anything like that, but he just talked. She got to know a lot more about him than she ever had in her seven-year friendship with him.  
  
More often than not, Malfoy would show up in the library also. He wouldn't do homework or read. He would just sit there and occasionally eye Hermione and glare at Ron. He hadn't said anything to them since the first morning back. Now, whenever he saw Hermione, or even Ginny, for that matter, he would grin at them. It unnerved them all to no end.  
  
Hermione and Ginny were never without Ron or Harry. Every waking moment was spent in their presence. Not that anyone complained, of course.  
  
Once Quidditch had started up though, there were problems to take of. Before all of this, Ron had so badly wanted to play Keeper for the third time this year, and with Harry as the captain, they made a wonderful team with the other players. But now, Ron all but downright refused to play, for fear of leaving Hermione and Ginny by themselves. Hermione argued all the time on this point an even tried to compromise with him on it.  
  
"You can't just give this up because you are scared that we'll get hurt! That's just not a good enough reason to ruin something you're good at!"  
  
"Really, because I think that it's an excellent reason," he retorted.  
  
"Well, you're wrong. Here how about a compromise?"  
  
"Go on."  
  
"While you're both at Quidditch practice, Ginny and I will not leave the common room."  
  
"And what about games?"  
  
"One: no one is going to try to kidnap us in the middle of the a Quidditch game with professors and students swarming the place, and two: we will sit with Seamus and Dean. Plus you'll both be up high and on brooms able to come down to where we are at any second."  
  
Ron seemed to consider this and finally agreed. "I still don't like this. And you both have to promise not to leave the tower while we're gone. Understand?" He spoke to them as if they were five-year-olds. Hermione was about to point this out when she thought better of it and promised along with Ginny. Not even then did Ron look satisfied.  
  
They first few weeks of Quidditch practice rattled Ron's nerves very severely. He couldn't concentrate until Hermione heard what was happening from Harry and sat Ron down for a talk.  
  
"Now, I know you are worried, but you can't keep doing this. Ginny and I are safe within the walls of the tower and the school. If you don't stop this, I'll have to suspend your bodyguard duties." She said the last part jokingly, but meant it.  
  
"I won't allow you to rack yourself just for the sake of me, understand?" she said in the same tone he used with her about a month ago.  
  
"Yes, I guess."  
  
After that, Ron got better. He was doing much better in Quidditch and his marks on homework never looked better. Hermione could proudly say she had rubbed off on him, or so she liked to think.  
  
  
  
Soon enough the Christmas holidays were upon them and the castle was a cold and drafty as ever.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were the only Gryffindors left for the two weeks they had been given off. This was thought to be a very relaxing occasion. Fortunately, Malfoy and his goons had left along with Pansy Parkinson and a lot of other Slytherins. Only a few remained out of all the houses. Everyone wanted their children home as much as possible with You-Know-Who still on the rampage.  
  
The holidays were spent sitting idly in front of the fire and playing games, with a few snowball fights, of course.  
  
On Christmas morning, they all awoke to present at the pile of their beds. For the first time, Hermione had not given Ron something Quidditch or candy, but for his newfound love for reading, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. He said he had read some of his plays over the summer and like his writing a lot.  
  
Harry, on the other hand, got book full of new spells that could be used on your broom to make it perform better.  
  
Ginny had received a necklace with a lightning bolt on in which she hurriedly proceeded to put on but stuff under her shirt. She quietly, but profusely, thanked Hermione for her much-liked gift.  
  
Hermione had received the usual books from her parents, a lovely pair of earrings from Ginny, and another book from Harry on the newest defense spells. She was most amazed by Ron's present though.  
  
He had given her a silver ring with a sapphire in the center. She put it on and picked up the note she had neglected to marvel at the ring. It read:  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
Merry Christmas! I cannot assume whether or not you have opened you're gift yet, but if you haven't, you're about to know what it was.  
  
It's called a protection ring. I have an identical one, while Harry gave one to Ginny, only theirs' are emerald and gold. All you have to do for it to work is be wearing it (mine is on a chain around my neck), and whenever you are in trouble, the other ring will give off a brilliant light, in which you can see where that person is and what is happening to them. It's the only thing that makes me feel remotely better when I'm away. For the sake of my sanity, please wear it. I know blue is your favorite colour, so the sapphire seemed appropriate.  
  
Always,  
  
Ron Not only his gift, but his words as well, brought tears to her eyes and a sense of security to her heart. She knew as long as Ron had a single breath in him that he would protect her. And that was an indescribable feeling in itself.  
  
As she finished throwing the wrappings away and getting dressed, she walked downstairs wearing her new dark blue Weasley sweater that was a bit form fitting itself. Hermione just figured Mrs. Weasley used the measurements from last year to make this one. But no matter, it looked good on her with her faded blue jeans and leather boots.  
  
When she emerged from the staircase, only one other person was inside the common room. Ron stood leaning on the mantle gazing into the fire. He looked up at her and smiled to see that she had the ring on her finger. She looked beautiful. Her sweater and blue jeans accented her figure. Her hair was as curly as ever and her eyes sparkled with appreciation.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Ron." She smiled right back at his own Weasley sweater (maroon, of course) clad body.  
  
"Likewise," he grinned.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and walked over to him.  
  
"Thank you for your gift," he said pompously, just he had when they had met on the platform.  
  
"Your are very welcome, and I also thank you for yours," she said in the same tone. It had become somewhat of a joke for all of the Wealsey's to make fun of Percy's very formal attitude towards everything, and Harry and Hermione had just picked up on it themselves.  
  
Then, just as they had when they had finished their very elegant greeting on the platform, Ron reached over and picked Hermione up in his arms. Only this time was different. He didn't swing her around causing her to shriek, but held her closely and gently, as if she were a dainty glass object that could shatter at any moment. She liked this hug a lot.  
  
When he put her down, he did not let go, but looked into her eyes for a moment until she asked, "Let me see your ring."  
  
He reached into his sweater and brought out an identical, but bigger silver ring. "It still wouldn't fit on my finger and it was the largest size they had, too," he said sheepishly.  
  
Hermione leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." She then kissed his cheek. Ron realizing what happened blushed a furious red and was thankful that Harry came down at that moment in an emerald green sweater (no doubt to bring out the colour in his eyes).  
  
The two quickly pulled away, and Harry, having a pretty good idea of what had just happened, grinned widely. They said the required 'thank you' and 'Merry Christmas' and when Ginny emerged in her own purple sweater, they did it all over again, only with a longer hug on Harry and Ginny's part than any of the others that they had shared. They walked slowly down to the Great Hall for Christmas breakfast.  
  
The rest of the holiday went by quickly, but the end was welcomed quickly. For Hermione, it school was an escape from everything. But for Ron, it was a better way to keep an eye on Malfoy.  
  
Never was Hermione without Ron or Ginny without Harry. It was actually not really annoying for either girls (except when they insisted on staying outside the bathroom door!). It provided company for Hermione and Ginny got to spend all the time she wanted with Harry.  
  
Ginny and Harry were very close now. She had told him all her secrets, much like she did with Riddle's diary in her first year. She also told Harry of the diary and what had happened, and that was something that she had never told anyone. Harry brought out the best in Ginny. Ever since the encounter with Riddle, she had been introverted from all her friends, and that was five years ago! With Harry, she laughed, and talked, and sometimes cried on his shoulder when she needed to.  
  
Ginny also brought out the best in Harry. He told her about his parent's voices with the Dementors in his third year and what had happened in his fourth year, something's that only Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Dumbledore knew. He had also told her about Sirius, and surprisingly, she didn't question him and believed him fully. This made Harry trust her even more. There was something he felt for her, different than Ron or Hermione. Something that felt similar to how he felt with Cho in fourth year. But with Ginny, it was different from Cho, too. He felt the constant need to protect her from anything. He knew she had had a crush on him in his first through fourth years. After that, he never knew what she thought. He couldn't act on his new feelings if he didn't know how she felt.  
  
Ginny felt the same as she did about Harry as she had when she was ten, if not stronger. She knew he was her, as sappy as this was, 'one and only.' She was sure she loved him, but has settled with adoring him from afar. After her third year, she realized that he had a crush on Cho and would never notice her. It had hurt immensely, but she eventually got used to it. She wished more than ever that he would notice, even if just the tiniest bit. She wasn't about to tell him about her crush on him. No, he never has, and never would, feel the same way.  
  
They were having one of their long talks again in the common room after everyone was asleep when he asked a question that startled her.  
  
"So, been eyeing anyone lately?" He asked this playfully, but desperately wanted to know the truth.  
  
Ginny looked at him appraisingly, as though sizing him up. She seemed to have come to a conclusion, when she simply said, "Yes."  
  
"Well, who?" he pushed.  
  
She gazed at him again. "I'm not telling you."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Because, you know him, and would probably would tell him, and then he'd freak out and never talk to me again." She spoke very quickly. At this, he felt his heart drop.  
  
"I'm sure he'd love to have a girl like you like him," he muttered.  
  
"Oh really? I don't think so. I've liked him for a while and he had never noticed me."  
  
"And how long have you liked him exactly?" He didn't know why kept asking about this other boy. All it did was wretch his heart out, for himself and for Ginny. How could someone not notice this gorgeous young red head before him? Then he remembered. He had never noticed her, either. He felt a sharp pang of guilt in his heart.  
  
"For about.. six years." She said this hesitantly.  
  
Upon hearing this, Harry's heart leapt. She was talking about him. He knew she was before this, deep down, but now he was sure!  
  
"And how old is he?"  
  
"Seventeen"  
  
"And is his hair black?" He whispered very slowly.  
  
"Yes." You could barely hear her.  
  
"And his eyes?" His voice was almost as inaudible.  
  
"Emerald green." She said this as she looked into the eyes.  
  
"Really," he said breathlessly.  
  
"Yes," she barely squeaked out.  
  
Just then, Harry leaned over from his chair that sat directly across from Ginny's, and tilted her chin up with his hand. He looked into her hazel eyes and saw what shone in them. It was fear... of rejection, from him. This scared him for some reason. He leaned forward even more and closed his eyes. She did the same as she felt his soft lip meet hers. It was a gentle, but full of the passion Ginny has held for Harry for six years. They sat like that for a while, until they both pulled away for air. Harry smiled at the serene, content look on Ginny's face. Her eyes gleamed with adoration and love. This intrigued him to continue. He stood up, as did she. He took her hand and led her to the couch where he placed a hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to his body, and another on her soft cheek. He pulled her face up to meet his and again captured her lips with his. She did not object, but let out a small whimper. He smiled and made what sounded like a growl from deep within his throat. His tongue ran along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She willingly obliged. His tongue searched her mouth as hers did the same. They kissed like that for a good five minutes, until they heard the stairs in the girl's dormitory creak. They pulled away quickly just as Ginny's fellow roommate, and prefect, Anna, walked out of the dark stairwell.  
  
She saw Harry and Ginny standing quite flushed about a foot away from each other.  
  
"Sorry Anna, we were just talking and must have to much noise." She said that realizing what Anna had told her what prefects where to do if they heard a noise in the common room too late at night.  
  
"That's okay, Gin, but maybe you should come up and get some sleep."  
  
"Okay, I'll be up in a minute." Anna nodded and Ginny received a wink from her as she headed back to their dorm.  
  
Ginny slightly smiled and turned to Harry. "Well, I better go back up."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"Well, goodnight." Ginny started for the stairs when a large hand grabbed her small arm and whirled her back around. Harry crushed his lips back on hers for the last time that night. He let go and said, "Goodnight."  
  
Ginny turned around and walked clumsily to the stairwell, but not before turning back to flash a genuine smile of happiness before she finally started up the stairs.  
  
Harry turned around and head back to his dormitory. He quickly got ready for bed and lied down to sleep. He couldn't help but grin as he fell into a sleep full of dreams of a certain beautiful red head.  
  
  
  
A/N - This is my longest chapter yet. I just didn't know where to stop! Hoped all my H/G shippers liked this. Don't worry, R/H to come and some action and maybe even another Malfoy attack, but not to Hermione. Review, and let me now how I'm doing. Thanks!  
  
Jitterbelle - I can see your point in how Harry would be just as ticked, but from reading the books, I thought that Harry had less of a problem  
  
controlling his temper than Ron, and if you were Harry, would you would you want to get in the way of Ron's warpath? And besides, had to give Ron the hero status. Don't worry though, Harry's turn to go after Malfoy just might turn up soon. 


	5. Ginny's Attack

Saving Hermione - Ch. 5: Ginny's Attack  
  
A/N - Before I start writing another chapter I want to say a few things. First off, I've a lot of great reviews. To danielle: Yeah, I know there has been a lot of sappy stuff, and there will be action soon. To fuzzyfeelings: I know there are a lot of typos and things and usually I'm use pretty good grammar and spelling skills, but I am just typing so fast that I don't catch it and neither does my computer. I will try to work on that. Ron's eyes are blue, I thought, but I could be wrong. 'Alright' is actually a word (I looked up in the dictionary on the internet just to be sure), it's really more of a slang word though, like an abbreviation. Otherwise, thanks for the praise! Now, on with the story!  
  
  
  
They next few weeks went by without disturbance. Hermione was constantly in the library with Ron and Harry studying for the N.E.W.T.'s. Even with his new ability to study, Ron still complained about having too for so long. Ginny stayed with them either reading or doing homework.  
  
One week in the middle March, right after Ron had turned eighteen, there was a Hogsmeade weekend, much to the joy of the student body that had been working so hard for their final exams.  
  
Ron and Harry decided that they needed to be even more vigilant as they were outside the walls of their sanctuary. Hermione and Ginny, however, thought nothing of it.  
  
Not surprisingly, Ginny's friends once again wanted to drag her away to do some shopping.  
  
"Come on Ginny! All you ever do is hang out with your brother and his friends! You never have any time for us, anymore!" Anna whined this low enough for only Ginny to hear.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry." Ginny didn't really mean this, as she very much liked being around Harry all the time. She and him would sneak off from the library to go do something like talk to a teacher (or so they told Ron and Hermione) and end up kissing in an empty room. Ginny set to daydreaming about this, but was abruptly pulled out of her happy, but secret world. Harry insisted that since that Ginny was planned to be kidnapped as well, they shouldn't give Voldemort any reason to suspect that he had a girlfriend now.  
  
"Come on Ginny, just for an hour. Please!" She looked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
  
"Harry's going with you," Ron said carefully, eyeing the girls with apprehension.  
  
"No, just Ginny." This was very brave of Anna since no one argued with Ron on issues such as his little sister.  
  
Ron looked ready to blow up when Ginny said, "It's alright, Ron. I'll be fine. There are teachers all over the place."  
  
"Ginny, I really think-"  
  
"No, Ron. I'll be fine," Ginny stated firmly. "Besides, do you really think that Harry would want to spend all afternoon with a bunch of giggly sixteen year old girls?" She said this even though Harry looked like he wouldn't mind spending the afternoon with Ginny without the others at all.  
  
"I still don't know."  
  
"I've got the ring, Ron. Nothing is going to happen. I'll avoid Malfoy."  
  
"Let her go, Ron. She needs to spend time with her friends. Not just us." Hermione's reasoning skills always won over with Ron.  
  
"Fine, then. Just be careful. You remember how to use the ring, right?"  
  
"Yes, it's not that hard."  
  
"Ok, bye."  
  
"Bye, Ron. Bye Harry, Hermione," and with a wave of her hand and a tug of her friends, she as gone from sight into the crowds.  
  
A couple of hours later, it was time to go back to the school. Ever since Ginny had left, Harry felt uncharacteristically nervous and kept checking down his shirt to his own gold ring to make sure there was no light.  
  
When Harry saw Ginny's friends climbing into a carriage, he noticed there was no red among the black and blonde heads. He ran over to their carriage and asked where Ginny was.  
  
"You mean she's not with you? She disappeared and we thought she had gone to find you."  
  
Harry's mind raced. "Was Draco Malfoy anywhere near?" he asked frantically.  
  
"Actually, he was in the Three Broomsticks when we were, and that was when Ginny disappeared."  
  
"Oh, shit!" The girls gave him appalled looks as he ran off with lightning speed towards the local pub.  
  
Panting, he slid in the doors and looked around. No red. No blonde. He did, however, see a black curly head that could only belong to Madame Rosmerta. He quickly ran up to her and asked if she had seen where Draco Malfoy had gone to after he left.  
  
"Yes, I did. He walked up to the Shrieking Shack with the Weasley girl."  
  
That was all he needed to hear before he sprinted to the shack up the hill while pulling out his wand.  
  
Ginny was held up against the back wall outside the Shrieking Shack. She had a binding charm on her mouth and could only whimper as Malfoy walked in front of her waiting for his father to appear. He kept looking her up and down appraisingly.  
  
"My, my. You seemed to have grown up as much as the Mudblood this summer," he said, his voice dripping with venom, and something else Ginny could not recognize.  
  
She shot him a glare that could melt steel at the use of the insult towards her friend.  
  
"Oh, did you want to say something? Well, I guess I could listen for just one minute." He took the charm off of her and smiled wickedly.  
  
Ginny took this opportunity to bring him down by the thing that hurts a man most: his ego. "Yes, it seems that I have. But what's it to you? You couldn't do it to Hermione, what makes you think that you will with me? You're nothing but a filthy Death Eater. No one will ever love you once you have that revolting mark on your arm. Well, Pansy might still." She grinned evilly, but another second later she wished she could stuff all her words back in her mouth. Malfoy had walked slowly up to her and leaned into whisper something in her ear. She was just talking. Hermione had Ron and Harry show up. They knew where Hermione was, but no one had any idea where she was.  
  
"You really think that I couldn't have down what I wanted too with the Mudblood?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke.  
  
"She had the Weasley and Potter come to save her at the last minute. No one knows where you are. Your precious Potter isn't here to save you." He voiced her thought exactly.  
  
"An another thing," he leaned in closer to that he could kiss her ear with every word, making her shutter with disgust, "once you are handed over to my father, it won't matter what you say. I can have my way with you anytime I want."  
  
These words scared the wits out of Ginny when she realized he was right. But she still had some of her sarcasm left, and decided that what she said could not get her into any more trouble.  
  
"Oh, is that how you get your 'pleasure'? Hmmm? You rape defenseless girls? I guess that's because no one else will have you except Pansy, right?" She had done it this time. She had taken his pride out from under him.  
  
He backed away from her and slowly raised his hand to slap her as she closed her eyes.  
  
His knuckles hit her dead-on in her temple. She staggered as much as the binds would let her. She opened her eyes but refused to let the tears fall, completely blurring her vision. All she saw next was the pale hand lifting into position to strike again while a tall, black something came up from behind. That was when she passed out.  
  
Harry come up the sounds of muffled whimpering behind the house and went around to the bushes in the backyard. He crouched down and peered through an opening to better see where the whimpering was coming from.  
  
There he saw, bound to the wall by shackles, was Ginny. And in front of her, pacing, was Malfoy.  
  
He watched and listened to their conversation. He could everything but what Malfoy said when he whispered into and kissed her ear, making Harry extremely angry.  
  
Just then, he heard Ginny speak, "Oh, is that how you get your 'pleasure'? Hmmm? You rape defenseless girls? I guess that's because no one else will have you except Pansy, right?"  
  
Harry sniggered as she said this but quickly stopped when he saw Malfoy back away deliver a blow to her temple.  
  
Ginny's head flung to the side and slowly turned back with tear-filled eyes.  
  
All Harry saw was Malfoy raise his hand again before Ginny passed out. He crept up behind Malfoy's raised fist and grabbed it just as it was starting to go down. In one agile movement, Harry brought Malfoy's arm behind his back and pushed him against the wall.  
  
"You just don't learn do you?" Harry asked.  
  
"I guess not," Malfoy replied as he tried to wretch from Harry's firm grasp.  
  
"Now, what would Ron do in this situation?" Harry pondered out loud, his voice full of malice.  
  
No one had seen Ginny wake up seconds after she had passed out. She was now standing and watching in dazed amazement at Harry's fury, acutely aware of her throbbing headache.  
  
"I don't know Potter, need your sidekick to help you out again?" Malfoy grunted with his face pressed against the peeling paint of the house.  
  
Then, with all the anger that had built up in him as he had watched Malfoy strike Ginny, he flipped Malfoy around to face him.  
  
Slightly confused to quick change of positions, Malfoy had no time to react to Harry's next statement.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you never to strike a lady?" Harry asked as he put his fist directly into the other boy's jaw.  
  
Harry had hit him so hard that a loud crack sounded. Harry had broken his jaw.  
  
"You should never hit a woman who has hot-tempered six older brothers and equally as protective male friends," he said like it was a Transfiguration lesson as he delivered a second punch to Malfoy's temple.  
  
"Do you enjoy hitting defenseless girls? Is that the only way you could win a fight without Crabbe and Goyle? But, wait. You still lost to Ron, even with your trolls there. Now how does that stand for an almighty Death Eater?" Harry continued to give Malfoy hit after hit as he kept belittling him.  
  
By the time Harry's hand was black and blue, Malfoy had been unconscious for about three minutes as Harry had continued to hit him after he was done saying that he had better never touch Ginny again, in almost the exact same words that Ron had used.  
  
He stopped punching and let Malfoy slide to the ground, his perfect face bloodied beyond recognition. He looked up at Ginny and was not startled to see that she was awake.  
  
Ginny had woken up to see Harry hit Malfoy after some sarcastic comment. She watched Harry continuously strike Malfoy. Soon after he was finished yelling at him never to touch her again, he still struck the unconscious blonde boy. When he was finished, he dropped Malfoy and looked up at her open jaw. She looked into his eyes and was frightened by what she saw in them. She saw a savage look of a full-grown man that had seen way too much for his years that was ready to kill. She had never seen that in her gentle Harry. She always deep down knew that there must have been that side to him, she just didn't want to see it, although it made her feel protected beyond words.  
  
Harry walked up to her and gently touched her bruised face, his gaze softening considerably. She winced and he pulled away just a bit.  
  
"Do you want to tell Ron about this," he asked in a clear, strong voice.  
  
"No, that would only mean he was right. Ow!" She tried to joke but the pain in the side of her head stopped her.  
  
She looked seriously up at him and said, "No, I think you took care of it well enough." She looked down at the limp figure of Draco and turned back to Harry with a small grin. But he was looking at Malfoy, also, with the same look in his eyes that he had moments before. It scared Ginny to death for some reason. He made a move to start untying her binds and soon she was free. She staggered a bit as she was unsupported by the ropes. Harry caught her and put her arm around her shoulder to help her stand.  
  
They walked back up to the school wordlessly, unaware of the Death Eater watching them from behind the Shrieking Shack, standing over his incoherent son.  
  
Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at his son and said "Ennervate." Draco awoke to a terrible pain on his entire face. Memories of what just happened came rushing back as he looked up to see his father's disgusted watching Potter and Weasley walk back to the school.  
  
"Well done, Draco," he said, turning back to his son with smile. "We now know that Potter has something even more valuable when combined with the Mudblood," he said almost gleefully.  
  
"And what is that, father," Draco asked, almost sardonically as he, too, watched the other students walk away. "Potter now loves the Weasley. She will be of far greater use than to the Dark Lord than to me when combined with the Mudblood. He will now have to come after not just his friend, but his girlfriend as well," he mused.  
  
Both blondes wore identical grins that would have sent shivers up the most brave of wizards.  
  
A/N - End Ch.5. Hoped you all liked it. Sorry, I haven't had much time to write. My uncle died a few days ago and I've got a wake and funeral to go to, but I'll keep writing. Not much action I know. And it was rather short, but wait for a while, I'm getting to it soon. Everyone who wanted a Harry-hero moment there you go. I'm sorry if I sounded a bit rude it the beginning A/N, I didn't mean to. Well, tell me if you like it. Does it need more detail, fluff, action, or anything? Please let me know. I write to please you all. Thanks! 


	6. The Kidnapping

Saving Hermione - Ch. 6: The Kidnapping  
  
A/N - Sorry this took so long to get out, but my uncle's funeral was an Italian one, so there were lots of family things to attend. Sorry again. Just a few more responses to reviewers.  
  
Thanks to all those who reviewed and to tigress33: You know what? I totally forgot about Hermione slapping Malfoy (and I've read that book nine times!). I know that Hermione and Ginny come off really defenseless, but they are really being sexually harassed and assaulted, right? Well, I am doing the defenseless thing from experience. Earlier this summer, I was in some of the same situations and that is really how I felt, helpless and defenseless. I was really quite unnerving for me (and I am a big girl that can take down 200 pound men!) to be that scared of a teenage boy. So I am just bringing out what I think they would feel like because in those moments that you are attacked, you don't really know what to do and you loose all comprehension of everything around you, all you want is help and nothing else. I hope you understand their actions now a bit better. Thanks for the praise! On with the story!  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry and Ginny had not told Ron or Hermione about Malfoy's attack last week. They did notice, however, that Ginny was extremely jumpy whenever Malfoy was near. This just seemed like regular behavior for her since Hermione's attacks and the discovery for Voldemort's plans, so it went unquestioned.  
  
About a month after Ginny's assault, there was another trip to Hogsmeade. Everyone decided that they would not go, seeing as Ginny and Harry were highly opposed to going.  
  
Instead, they all went to the library to do some more studying, much to Ron's chagrin.  
  
"Haven't we done enough studying?" he complained, causing Hermione to send a glare at him that made him wince.  
  
"No, we have only got ten more weeks until the N.E.W.T.s, and although your marks on homework have improved, you need to get all the studying in that you can," she replied in her annoyingly superior voice.  
  
While she and Ron bickered back and forth, Harry pretended to read while shooting knowing grins at Ginny who was doing the same. They two decided to give them their space and excused themselves to the common room. Hermione and Ron didn't even notice they left.  
  
After a long, idle walk up to the empty common room, they sat down in a couple of chairs across from each other and set up a chessboard. Five minutes into the game, it dawned on Harry that Ginny had inherited her brother's master techniques at chess. She had already taken out his queen and a good number of his pawns and was about to check his king when she excused herself up into her dorms for a moment to get a sweater due to the cold and drafty castle.  
  
Harry sat and eyed the chessboard trying to figure out what move would save him when his mind started to wander. Ginny's beautiful red head appeared in his mind and he closed his eyes and grinned to himself.  
  
Then, someone's loud, blood-curdling scream sounded, breaking his train of thought. Ginny was screaming for help. Harry bolted up and sprinted up the girl's stairs. When he reached the 6th years dorms in less than ten seconds, he kicked the door open with such force, it swung back and cracked the stone wall.  
  
All he had time to see was a screaming auburn head in the midst of black robes being made to touch a port-key. Then, Ginny and the estimated four Death Eaters were gone.  
  
Harry looked down at the floor where Ginny had stood and saw nothing but her wand. He grabbed it and ran down the stairs and out of the common room to the library as quick as lightning.  
  
Hermione and Ron had long ago quite arguing. They were both studying peacefully while occasionally sneaking glances at each other bent heads. Every once in a while, they would catch each other's eyes and smile.  
  
Hermione excused herself to another part of deserted library to get another book, leaving Ron free quite studying for a few moments.  
  
He liked the time he and Hermione had to spend together. When they argued, they were just showing affection. That's the way it had always been. Rarely were they ever really angry with each other. Ron like their little spats and sometime would just annoy her to start a fight. She was radiant when she was angry. Her face would go a bit red and she would flare her little nose and narrow her eyes, giving what he liked to call, the "Death Glare."  
  
He got up to go see where Hermione was since she had been gone for a few minutes. He came to a row of book near the Restricted Section and saw something that made his heart jump into his throat and his stomach sink.  
  
Surrounding Hermione were five masked Death Eaters. Just like Harry, before Ron could do anything, they were all gone, leaving her wand on the floor where she had stood.  
  
Ron pocketed the wand and ran as quickly as his long legs would carry him out of the library, only to run head-on into Harry. They both stumbled back but righted themselves in a hurry.  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
They both spoke at the same time.  
  
"Four Death Eaters!"  
  
"Five Death Eaters!"  
  
They spoke in unison again. They each reached into their robe pockets and pulled out two different wands.  
  
"Oh, shit!"  
  
"Dammit!"  
  
They nodded to each other and sprinted towards a familiar stone gargoyle, nearly flattening tiny Professor Flitwick.  
  
Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore was stepping out of the entrance just as they arrived, worry streaking his wrinkled face.  
  
"I need to know everything," he simply said.  
  
With that, both boys spilled into an explanation of the years events, Ron being surprised by the new information of Ginny's attack.  
  
"Well, we have to work fast then, if we are to ensure the safety of Miss Granger and Miss Weasley, not to mention you two," he said.  
  
"Go down into the dungeons, Harry and tell Professor Snape what has happened and come with him back to my office immediately. Ron, you so the same with Professor McGonagall. Hurry!"  
  
Ron and Harry didn't need to be told twice. They again ran for what seemed like the twentieth time that day as fast as they could.  
  
Ron returned with a teary-eyes, yet annoyed McGonagall, to see an emotionless Snape and haggard looking Harry with Dumbledore.  
  
When they were all in Dumbledore's office, McGonagall spoke. "Why, did you not have the common sense to come to us before something like this happened!?!?" she seethed.  
  
"Now, Minerva, they didn't want to impose more problems, I supposed," he looked at Harry and Ron who nodded.  
  
"I don't care-" but she was cut off by Dumbledore's voice.  
  
"I need you to return to Voldemort, Severus. Watch over the girls, but do not reveal your position. Minvera?" She looked at him through her glasses and sighed, "Yes, I know, take over while you're gone and contact the Ministry."  
  
"Thank you. And you boys, stay in here until I return."  
  
"The hell we will!" Although Dumbledore was one of Ron's greatest heroes, he was not going to just stay here and wait. It was his fault that Hermione was gone. He was supposed to protect her.  
  
Harry felt the same way and said so.  
  
"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall sounded shocked that they would speak against the great Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"No, Minerva, they are right. I am probably too old to go and try to face Voldemort and the Death Eaters by myself. These two on the other hand, have excellent skills in sneaking in and out of places and going unnoticed. They are of age and have great power."  
  
Professors McGonagall and Snape stood there shocked that Dumbledore would give such praise to two seventeen years olds, but, then again, they didn't know how much respect he held for them.  
  
"Do you really think we can do it Professor?" Harry questioned his decision greatly.  
  
"I do. I think you could sneak into wherever Voldemort is hiding and retrieve the Misses Granger and Weasley, even better than, I dare say, Misters Fred and George?" He said this with a slight amusement in his voice.  
  
Ron slightly smiled and spoke up. "We'll do it. But where is Voldemort hiding?"  
  
"I have reason to believe, from rumors of odd happenings, that he is hiding in the same house that he had been in for three years. I believe you remember the Riddle House, Harry?"  
  
He did. He remembered seeing the house in his dreams that he had in the summer before fourth year and when he saw it while in the Riddle family graveyard.  
  
"Y-yes." Harry had no desire to ever go back to that cemetery ever again. But if he had to, then he would, if it meant saving Ginny and Hermione.  
  
"It is located in the town of Little Hangleton. I will create a port-key for you to travel there, but first you need some slight training before you send you off to possibly do battle if Voldemort, if it comes to that."  
  
Ron shivered at this while Harry went slightly pale at having to face him again.  
  
"Ok, what do we need to do, Professor?" Ron asked boldly, after the initial shock of facing Voldemort wore off.  
  
Hermione woke up on a pile of hay in a small, damp, cold room that had no windows, or furniture and water damaged wood floors. Across the inky darkness of the room, she could scarcely make out a lump of red and black.  
  
Hermione realized that it had to be Ginny and stood to go over to her. But her plan was quickly squashes as she felt to the floor from the over- whelming dizziness she felt. She could hear laughter outside the door and looked up to find Ginny stirring and a hole in the door the shape of a square. I looked up at the square, which provided some light into the room, to see a pair of silver eyes smirking back at her.  
  
"Malfoy!" Hermione hissed.  
  
"I told you I'd get you away from your bodyguards!" he cackled evilly.  
  
Hermione just glared at him through the pain in her head and saw Ginny holding her own head in agony.  
  
"What have you done to us?" she demanded.  
  
"Oh, nothing, luv, but a little potion to render you unconscious."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"So you won't cause us any problems."  
  
At this, she shoved her hand into her robes to find her wand missing. But what they didn't know was that she carried an extra wand on her, just in case something like this happened. She quickly but unnoticeably checked her hidden pocket to find a long, smooth, and entirely comforting piece of wood.  
  
She smiled at Malfoy and stood up, ignoring the pain in her head. She walked over to the door while swinging her hips seductively. She saw Malfoy's eyes widen as he watched her.  
  
Ginny had seen the wand that Hermione had expertly pulled out of her robes and hid behind her back. She grinned as she realized what Hermione was doing when she walked up to the door.  
  
"Could you just open the door for a little while, give us some light? It's awfully dark in here," she said in her sweetest voice.  
  
"I'm not that stupid. Come on Granger, no matter how tempting you or Weasley look, I'm not allowed to let open this door...yet," he grinned wickedly.  
  
Both girls knew what he meant and Hermione slightly faltered, but quickly righted herself. She turned on the heel of her Mary-Janes and walked back infront of Ginny, shielding her.  
  
"Fine, Malfoy. Have it your way." She grinned just as wickedly and before Malfoy could say anything Hermione had pulled the wand out from behind her back and blown the door to smithereens. Malfoy had been blown in the adjacent wall and knocked out cold. Hermione came out with scratches on her face and her robes torn with bits of wood in her hair, but Ginny was unscathed and to Hermione, that was all that mattered. She walked over to Malfoy and placed him under a powerful stunning spell, just in case.  
  
Ginny though Hermione looked like a wild woman. She had torn robes and a few scratches on her face. Her hair looked even bushier from the wood splinters in it and from the wind force of the door.  
  
They walked silently along the wall with Hermione leading the way. Ginny also realized how in charge Hermione seemed to be when something like this was happening. Ginny, who really looked up to Hermione and strived to be like her, decided to be brave and assertive as well, but still followed Hermione.  
  
When they came across their first group of Death Eaters in this large manor, Hermione quickly stunned the three of them one by one from around a corner. They gathered their wands and pocketed them.  
  
Now, you must ask yourself: Would you want to come across two hormonal, pissed off, wand-carrying teenage girls? I didn't think so.  
  
The Death Eaters, however, didn't seem to realize how dangerous these teen girls could be when motivated.  
  
The second group, consisting of five black-robed figures, rounded a corner about twenty feet away from Ginny and Hermione. They girls, knowing that they couldn't stun them all without getting seriously injured, stood there while the Death Eaters approached them.  
  
The five formed a circle around the seemingly scared girls while laughing the way men do when they are about to do something morally wrong but don't care.  
  
"Now, what do we have here? Oh yes, I remember. The Mudblood and the little Weasel. The bait for Potter," one on Hermione's left stated.  
  
"Ah, yes. Didn't Voldemort say we could see to them before it was time for their deaths?" another one asked.  
  
"Yes, I believe he did. But that's interesting. How did you get out of your confinements? We were just going to visit you." Ginny could just hear the grin in his voice. They were mocking them, making sure that they knew what would inevitably happen to two cute teen girls in a house full of immoral men.  
  
Hermione had an idea and spoke up while poking Ginny in the back with her hidden wand. Ginny readied her wand. "Come closer and I'll tell you," she said to one of the bigger men directly in front of her. This must have been Crabbe or Goyle's father, because it was quite a stupid thing to do, lean down and let her whisper in his ear.  
  
"We got out like this." And before he knew what had hit him, Hermione had brought up her knee to the center of his legs and brought him down easily, while she then heard Ginny stun two Death Eaters. She turned with a deadly right hook to the jaw of the other Death Eater on her right as Ginny stunned the last of the men.  
  
The one Hermione had brought down was quickly getting back up, but not before Hermione had stunned him and the one that she had knocked to floor with her fist. Hermione may have been a girl, but she could put up a good fight, after all the years of playfully fist fighting with her huge father. Her father had actually been teaching her to fight all along and also teaching her to be able to take a hit of a bigger person and still fight. He had taught her well.  
  
Ginny was still in awe at Hermione's sudden adrenaline rush as they grabbed all the wands and busted them over their knees. They were extremely tired after the adrenaline started to wear off, though. Ginny from using so many powerful stunning spells and Hermione for the same reason and the physical output. If they came across many more Death Eaters before they got out of the house, they wouldn't be able to put up such a strong fight again.  
  
Just as she was thinking this, Hermione rounded a corner and came face to face with Lucius and Draco Malfoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N - Hoped you liked that. No more defenseless damsels in distress, well not until next chapter, anyways. You saw a fighting Hermione. I actually put myself into this story. I am Hermione basically. My father taught me all those things that I mentioned and in the beginning, her physical description was actually of me. That's how I am writing her. I hoped you liked this one, got more actions and some slight fluff. Question though. Am I making Draco and the Death Eaters too perverted here? Let me know. Thanks for reading! 


	7. Training and Staying Alive

Saving Hermione - Ch. 7: Training and Staying Alive  
  
A/N - Just a little note: tigress33: No offense taken, I just wanted everyone to have a better understanding of the characters actions and reactions.  
  
  
  
  
  
After Ron and Harry left Dumbledore's office that night, after the explanation of their slight training, the boys stayed up all night discussing what they could do with their training to save the girls. They had come up with many ideas out their hate and rage towards the Death Eaters and Voldemort and what they might be doing to Hermione and Ginny. Some ideas were not very realistic and very gruesome. Others, however, could actually work and they wrote those down.  
  
The next morning they were to report to the Headmaster's office again to receive instructions as to their training.  
  
When they arrived, though, they found a grim Dumbledore looking at a piece of parchment and a frightened McGonagall.  
  
"What happened?" Ron knew that only something to do with Hermione and Ginny could make them act like that.  
  
Neither teachers spoke, but Dumbledore held out the parchment to Harry.  
  
Harry read it and seemed to re-read it before finally comprehending it and closed his eyes solemnly. Ron snatched the letter after seeing Harry's reaction and read it himself. What he read made his heart sink to his feet and a feeling of foreboding and sorrow wash over his entire being.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely,  
  
I do believe that you will have noticed your precious sister and friend, Miss, Ginny Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger, are missing by now, as I have been told by a reliable future Death Eater of mine, that they rarely ever leave your sight. I am holding them as my Death Eaters and my personal 'guests'. You will have no doubt already told your Headmaster of their disappearance. All I want is you. We can finally have a proper duel this time Harry, with a proper second in place for you. If any Aurors or your Muggle-loving Headmaster come, I will kill the girls immediately. I will say again, all I want is you. If no one comes in a fortnights time, I will kill them. See you soon, boys.  
  
-Lord Voldemort  
  
Ron could actually hear Voldemort's mocking tone in his very formal business letter. It sent shivers up his spine. He read the letter over again and suddenly felt all his rage from seven years of Voldemort ruining their lives. He let out a roar that the all the students in the castle and people of Hogsmeade could hear. It was a yell of rage, pain, frustration, and hopelessness. It shook everyone's heart in the room. Suddenly, Ron stopped yelling and looked at Dumbledore, quite calmly. Everyone knew that Ron was his maddest when he was unbelievably calm.  
  
"We have one month to do the Auror training. Can it be done in that amount time?"  
  
"I believe it can, but now, do to this new information, you will not just be in Auror training, but War Auror training. The training requires much physical, magical, and mental training. There is a limited amount of War Aurors, so you will have a unique training that only few are privileged to. You will have to drop your classes for that time. You will have to work long days and sleep short nights. You will have training in new and highly advanced spells, curses, and enchantments. You will also have to learn to use a Muggle weapon called a 'gun'. It will be strenuous and highly dangerous. Do you both think you can do it?"  
  
"Yes," they answered simultaneously and without a moment's hesitation.  
  
"Very well, then," he concluded with a hint of admiration for the two now fully grown wizards and men in front of him. He held a high respect for them and the loyalty and love they showed for their friends. They were willing to go into battle and most likely, guaranteed death, just to save their friends. Those wear true Gryffindor qualities.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione instinctively stepped in front of Ginny, but Ginny stepped around her and stood next to her, wands drawn in front pointed the two, and back- up wands drawn, waiting, behind their backs.  
  
This did not intimidate the Malfoy men at all, though. Lucius smirked at them while Draco glared and brought a hand up to a bandage on his temple, which was no doubt, Hermione's handy work.  
  
Ginny and Hermione, although not the time, could not help but slightly grin at this.  
  
Unfortunately, this distraction took their attention off of Lucius and he muttered a disarming spell quickly. Before they knew what had happened, all four wands slipped out of their hands and into the hands of Lucius and Draco.  
  
Hermione looked at Ginny through the corner of her eyes and caught Ginny doing the same. Hermione nodded, and somehow, Ginny quite understood what she was trying to tell her. There was no way they could escape with the Malfoys armed with their four wands and plus their own standing directly in front of them. So the did the only thing they could do. They fought physically. They did this not to try to get away, but to at least hurt them in the process.  
  
Hermione all of a sudden brought up her leg and stomped on Lucius's leather loafer clad foot, making him howl in pain. Ginny kicked Draco in the shin, and then also stomped on his booted foot.  
  
"Fuck!" was all Ginny or Hermione heard before the men quickly righted themselves and the girls knew they had made and utterly stupid mistake.  
  
"You'll pay for that dearly, Mudblood," Lucius whispered, his voice full of loathing.  
  
"You, too, little Weasel." Draco's voice was equally laced with malice.  
  
Ginny could not help it. She always smarted back to her brothers when they said that to her. She did the only thing that felt right, then. She insulted him.  
  
"Oh yeah, you little ferret? You just wait. Are they going to have to send Mad-Eye Moody up here to teach you another little lesson? Hmm?" Ginny asked in a sickly sweet, yet angered voice. "Although, you wouldn't make a very cute pet for any Muggle child. Maybe they should turn you into a little fluffy bunny rabbit, instead."  
  
Draco's eyes narrowed and he leapt like a cat at Ginny. Lucius just stood there watching his son tackle a sixteen-year-old female, almost proudly.  
  
When Draco had Ginny pinned under him, he lifted his hand very slowly, just like he did in Hogsmeade at the Shrieking Shack, to strike her beautiful, porcelain-coloured face.  
  
When his hand would not go any higher above his head and he was poised to bring it down, a blur of black, gray, and brown came from the air and knocked Malfoy off of Ginny.  
  
Hermione watched as Draco prepared to slap Ginny, but she was not having it. When he had his hand all the way above his head, she jumped. She went the three feet through the air and swiped Malfoy clean off of Ginny, knocking him to the cold stone ground.  
  
Draco realized what had happened and when to hit Hermione instead. He succeeded but was paid back with a swift punch into his eye from her. They rolled around on the ground like that for some time, throwing fist and feet at each other as if it were a regular bar brawl. Hermione, he found out, was no easy opponent. She was quite strong and could deliver a painful hit. He briefly wondered were she learned to fight like this. Finally, he successfully pinned her down with her arms above her head. He smirked up at his father triumphantly, while he straddled a struggling Hermione.  
  
Ginny knew any more wrong moves or words would not be in their favor. Hermione seemed to realize this also and stopped struggling.  
  
"What are you going to do with us now?" Ginny had a very distinct, frightened whimper in her voice.  
  
"Just wait." Neither girl liked the silky tone of Draco's voice.  
  
With that, both girls were bound, gagged and levitated away upstairs to a dusty, yet well furnished bedroom where they waited unknowingly to be visited by the Dark Lord himself.  
  
  
  
There was a knock on the bedroom door. Hermione gave Ginny, who was lying on the bed, a questioning look from her chair by the unbreakable window. They girls had tried everything to escape, from picking up furniture and throwing it at the windows to trying to kick down the door. Nothing worked, however. They had greatly destroyed the beautiful room that had dark wooded walls and flooring and intricately detailed and plush furniture. They didn't care though.  
  
Hermione quickly got up and sat next to Ginny as the door slowly opened. What met them was a tall dark robed figure.  
  
A pale, spidery hand reached out from its hiding place of the cloak and lifted the hood down.  
  
Ginny screamed and Hermione nearly threw up at the man (was it a man?) that met them. He had narrow, red gleaming eyes, two small slits for nose, a tiny mouth with a forked tongue, and no hair.  
  
The thing, that could only be Voldemort, smiled at them wickedly. He took one step towards the girls who flinched as he did so. This made him broaden his smile.  
  
"So this is the only Arthur Weasley's only daughter and the famous intelligent Mudblood?"  
  
No sound came from the girls.  
  
"I have great plans for you both. You two will be my ticket to finally get Potter and his Muggle-loving friend at last. Then I can kill you all at one time. I have heard from my ears at Hogwarts that all four of you have become even closer. No doubt that Potter, nor Weasley would want to loose their newfound love interests. No doubt, indeed." He grinned at them mirthfully as both their ears pricked up and their eyes softened.  
  
"I am having quite a lot of fun playing my little mind game with them, though. I have given them one month to come and try to retrieve you both, with no Dumbledore or Aurors. If they don't come, I will kill you, Miss Weasely, but you Miss Granger, will no matter what he outcome be the Mudblood sacrifice that Draco Malfoy uses to become a Death Eater. When Harry and Ron come, I will challenge Harry to a proper duel, in which Ron will be his second, and you both will watch. I will kill Harry, then Ron, and then you, Virginia. But do not fret, Hermione, because your death will come shortly after." He said this all in a very deathly business tone while Hermione and Ginny stared at him in horrified trances.  
  
Pleased with their speechlessness, he turned and left, but not before coming back in to say, "Oh, and my some my Death Eaters will be coming in to 'visit' you. You both are such lovely young ladies." And he left.  
  
Ginny turned to Hermione with a mixture of disgust and fright on her face. Hermione was a great deal calmer though. She took the younger girl into her arms and held her while she sobbed, whispering words of encouragement into her ears.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It had been two weeks since Harry and Ron had started their training. They were both already muscular and the physical training did more for them than seven years of Quidditch or work labor over the summer could ever do.  
  
They woke up at 5:00 every morning to do two hours of weight lifting and running. They were aloud fifteen minutes for breakfast, then they went to learn their new spells, curses, and hexes for a good five hours. Lunch for fifteen minutes. Another physical training session for three hours and learning spells again for six hours, with dinner in between that. Right before bed they were to run fifteen laps round the Quidditch pitch and then shower.  
  
They usually didn't get to bed until 10:00 and then they had nights of tossing and turning when dreaming about what might be happening to Ginny and Hermione.  
  
The physical training was the worst of it all, but was well worth it. They each had filled out more. Their shoulders and chests widened by several inches, and their arms were much larger, as well as their legs.  
  
Ron worked harder than any one had ever seen him work. He was fueled by his rage. Harry kept up with Ron but sometime lagged from his own self- pity. He thought Hermione and Ginny's kidnappings were his fault. Ron would've tried to argue with him, but was too mad at himself for letting Hermione out of his sight. His anger was not only towards Voldemort or Malfoy, but towards himself. That was why he pushed his body to the extent of physical pain everyday, like some sort of punishment. He promised himself, as did Harry, that he would never let anything hurt or harm Hermione or Ginny ever again.  
  
They learned crippling curses, much more powerful disarming spells, and blinding hexes. But, what disturbed them the most was that they were taught the Unforgivable Curses. What was even more disturbing was that both them had extremely powerful magic in their bloods, making their Curses very effective. They could control anyone or thing they wanted. They knew this because they were permitted to try out the Imperius Curse on some willing people. They had no doubt that their Cruciatus would have long lasting effect on any unlucky victim. The Killing Curse was, although supposed to be hard to learn, very easy for Harry and Ron.  
  
The Killing Curse only took a few days for them to master entirely. All they had to do before saying the fatal words was bring up all the hate they had inside them. It was easy for them because they did not hate anyone as much as they hated Voldemort. All they did was think of him and they could kill in an instant. I was a little weird to be so powerful with one curse that required so much hate for Harry. But not Ron. Ever since Hermione was taken, he was a different person. He didn't speak or laugh much. He always had a glare on his face (which caused him to scare many younger students out of his way). All he did was brood about what had happened and what he was going to do about it. Ron was very powerful, with both brute and magical strength.  
  
There was one other thing that was taught to them. They were told that they would have to kill some of the Death Eaters and possibly Voldemort. Neither boy had any problem with this. Ron and Harry could kill Voldemort without a problem, not to mention a couple of Death Eaters.  
  
Only two weeks had gone by and they were two of the strongest wizards of their time, very likely rivaling even Voldemort and Dumbledore. Dumbledore was just glad that they were on his side, because he would not want to cross these two on the warpath. He pitied Voldemort the day they met him.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione and Ginny were fairing quite well, for being in the constant presence of Voldemort and his nutter followers.  
  
It had actually been two week since they had been held captive. Fortunately for them, all the Death Eater were now too scared to come into the room to try and force the two teenage girls into their wishes for fear of bodily harm.  
  
Hermione had been teaching Ginny how to fight. Ginny now had a brutal punch and a lethal knee. Her arms were much more like Hermione's now: muscular. They had injured many Death Eaters whenever they tried something, sometimes saving each other, although with a heavy price to pay. All they did was succeed in angering the men to the point were they would put the Cruciatus Curse on them and leave. But to Ginny and Hermione, that was better than being used as a harlot.  
  
The first time they had the Curse placed on one of them was the second day they were there. It had happened almost every other day since then. One of the Death Eaters had come in quietly while Ginny and Hermione were sleeping on the large canopied bed.  
  
He had crawled over on top of Hermione and startled her. She had brought her knee up and punched him in the nose, hearing a dull crack indicating it had broken. The man had rolled off the bed while Hermione quickly got up and hurried Ginny into a corner and hid her. The raging mad and bloodied Death Eater had gotten up with wand in hand and instantly said the curse. Hermione had let out a piercing shriek and fell to the ground. She writhed and screamed on the ground with Ginny panicking next to her for a full three minutes before it was lifted and the man left. Since then, it was the expected consequence of defending their bodies and their pride. Some just left them after they were kicked or hit, not doing anything and never came back. The others that used the curse never came back, either.  
  
The girls were quite proud of themselves for holding off the Death Eaters for so long by themselves, but still hoped that Ron and Harry would get there soon, because they couldn't withstand the Cruciatus Curse much longer or physically fighting full grown men.  
  
  
  
It was in the middle of the last week that they were being held prisoner, they were paid a visit from another Death Eater late one night.  
  
Both girls were as sound asleep as anyone could be with Voldemort or their almost guaranteed deaths so near. They both had come accustomed to waking up when the door clicked shut and tonight was no different.  
  
It was pitch black in the room and they could not tell whom it was that they would have to fight off. Their fighting mechanism was always the same. They would pretend to be asleep and when the assailant crawled over them, they would viciously attack.  
  
But tonight, that plan was hopelessly bashed into wall.  
  
The man muttered, "Petricifus Totalis," to Hermione and then to Ginny. Both girls were now paralyzed with no means of defending themselves and not to mention, frightened out of their minds.  
  
"I told you I'd pay you both back," said the same silky voice that would make both girls want to run screaming.  
  
Ginny and Hermione felt the bed shift as a greater weigh place itself on Ginny's side.  
  
"Wonder what Potter and Weasley would do if they found out what I was about to do to their little girlfriend and sister? Too bad they'll never live to find out," he said in a revoltingly sweet voice into Ginny's ear.  
  
She shivered in disgust as she felt his breath on her ear, while Hermione tried with all her might to move, even though she new it was a fruitless attempt.  
  
"And what about the Mudblood over here? I'm sure Ron would like to have done this instead of me, but too bad for the great prat, letting you leave his overprotective sight." It was Hermione's turn to shiver when he ran a finger up her neck to her ear.  
  
"It's a good thing that the Dark Lord was so kind as to give you both an adjoining bathroom and new clothes. I wouldn't want to do this too an even dirtier Mudblood and weasel," he said as he eyed their new robes.  
  
It was true that Voldemort had given them a bathroom with a shower, thank God, and new dress robes also. They were not too proud as to change into the clean, silky (although extremely form-fitting), green robes and cloaks. Neither if them had ever had such fine dress robes and were secretly very pleased with the way they looked in them.  
  
Although, now, what wouldn't either of them give for their old winter school clothes with heavy blouses, sweaters, stockings, and robes.  
  
Malfoy reached up to Ginny and swiftly undid her cloak that she wore for warmth, revealing her new robes to him. He leaned over and did the same to Hermione. His eyes widened in satisfaction in the dark, making Hermione and Ginny even more sick.  
  
He started in on Hermione first. He ran his finger over her arms and legs and then once again over her neck. She was ready to release the bile that had built up in her throat now, but couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes as Malfoy slowly undid the top fastenings on her robe. He realized she was crying as he did this and yelled at her.  
  
"STOP THAT!"  
  
When she didn't he struck her across the face. That was when Ginny started to cry as well. These things only made the tears fall bigger and faster from her eyes. She didn't want this to happen and more so for Ginny not to have to be right there when it did.  
  
Malfoy noticed Ginny's tears and raised his hand to strike her as well. He hit her so hard though, that he lost his own balance and toppled off the bed. He quickly stood and straddled Hermione, ready to continue.  
  
But, then, his plan was bashed into the wall as well as the door was blown into bits by some unknown force that quickly showed itself in all of its furious glory.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N - Another slightly dull chapter, the next one is going to have lots of action though, so give me a few days. Hell, I maybe get it done tonight, if I don't stay out too late with my friends. We'll see. Tell me what you think. I'm sorry, I'm not really good at rape or any of those scenes, so if it's a little weak, sorry. Thanks for reading! 


	8. The Rescue

Saving Hermione - Ch. 8: The Rescue  
  
  
  
  
  
During the third week of their training and with only three days left to rescue Hermione and Ginny, Harry and Ron were deemed fully able to fight and were finished with their War Auror training.  
  
Due to this early finish, Dumbledore decided a little surprise attack on Voldemort would be in appropriate. Ron and Harry highly agreed with this.  
  
Dumbledore told them of his plan for them and they were to carry it out immediately after preparing.  
  
The two wizards were to Apparate (they had also had training in this area of magic to better equip themselves for battle) into the forest surrounding the tiny village of Little Hangleton, and proceed stealthily up to the Riddle House and enter through the basement window. They were to go from there, find Hermione and Ginny, and then get the hell out of there if it was possible to not have to face Voldemort. In any case that they had to face Voldmort with the girls, duplicates had been made of all four wands by Mr. Ollivander, so that the boys could have extra wands and the girls their own to protect themselves with.  
  
Dumbledore did not like telling Harry and Ron to save Hermione and Ginny by any means, which entailed killing any Death Eaters that tried to stop them from reaching their goal. Harry and Ron, however, did not have any problem with this.  
  
A new charm enabled them to speak to one another telepathically and to Dumbledore as well, so it there was any trouble that they could not get out of, Dumbledore would be there in an instant, no matter the consequences.  
  
Ron and Harry, with their new training, also had a new confidence about them. They were not as nervous or even remotely scared about delving into Voldemort's lair. All they thought about was saving Hermione and Ginny. That was all that mattered.  
  
After being equipped with their fighting fatigues, which consisted of black cargo pants, black tight shirt, and lightweight robe (all for better movement), and weapons (guns, potions, and wands), they were ready to leave.  
  
Dumbledore escorted them out of the grounds and explained again the procedure. They shook hands and Dumbledore turned to leave. Harry and Ron looked at each other and then, in a blink of an eye, were gone.  
  
  
  
Two strange looking teenage boys, one with raven black hair and another with fiery red, walked out of the forest in the town of Little Hangleton late on a Thursday night dressed in full black. Not even the nosiest village people dared to stop the odd boys and ask whom they were and why they were there. They radiated off the feeling of being dangerous to the people, and that scared them.  
  
Ron and Harry's booted feet walked slowly and quietly up to the huge, eerie mansion on top of the hill. There seemed to be no movement inside the house. This unnerved them even more. They crept around to the back of the house to the nearest window. Ron silently removed the glass and slid through, with Harry right behind.  
  
What they saw when they landed amazed both of them.  
  
They were in a long, stone, dimly lit, corridor that seemed to go on forever (and that was certainly too big to be part of the house's foundation) with many other smaller halls and doors leading off of it, all with grimy, carved, Gothic number above, marking them for navigation. They were at '10'.  
  
They both realized that it that there had to be miles of corridor that had been magically enhanced. It seemed to be like a huge dungeon, even bigger than the Hogwarts dungeons.  
  
They looked at each other, nodded, drew their wands and set of to the right.  
  
Through the training, Ron and Harry had acquired strong reflex skills. They were both poised to strike at any one sudden movement. Ron had a deep frown that seemed to be permanently carved into his face, while Harry looked to be concentrating deeply.  
  
They walked on like that for about five minutes before they came across a single Death Eater. He was an average sized man and didn't see the two boys jump into an adjoining hall. He walked by the corridor unscathed until a strong hand reached around him from the back and grabbed his neck, efficiently pinning him to the wall.  
  
He stared into the icy blue eyes of one raging red head and the equally stormy emerald eyes of The Boy Who Lived himself. Even being a Death Eater, he still stared at the scar on Harry Potter's forehead. His face was however hidden by his mask and hood.  
  
"Where does your master keep his prisoners?" The way the red head (which occurred to him could only be a Weasley, and Ron Weasley at that) asked this, disturbed the Death Eater to no end. No one would like to cross a pissed of teenage boy (nonetheless a huge teenage boy) on a bad day.  
  
"Answer me now, if you value your pathetic life." Ron spoke in a deathly calm whisper and the Death Eater squirmed in his tight grasp as he regained his composure.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Both boys could tell that this was a lie and decided to use more extreme measures. They both whipped out their wands as Ron dropped the man's bruised neck from his hand and pointed them at his chest.  
  
"One more chance before you truly pay for being a supporter of Voldemort." It was Harry's turn to speak.  
  
This didn't seem to have any effect on the Death Eater, so Ron and Harry resorted to the measure to their first method of extracting information out of people so difficult.  
  
It was one of the newer spells they had been taught and could be used for many purposes. "Verito," Ron's voice was strained, but firm. This particular charm worked just as the Verituserum potion would. It would make the victim tell them whatever they wanted to know if they asked.  
  
"Where does Voldemort keep his prisoners?"  
  
"In the 13th corridor, the 10th room on the left."  
  
"Are there the two girls in there now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are they all right?"  
  
"I wouldn't know."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I haven't tried to visit them, like some of the others have."  
  
"What do you mean 'visit'?" Harry sounded extremely worried now. He did the questioning because Ron looked ready to tear his throat out at any moment.  
  
"I mean, that they are being used as what any teenage girls in a place swarming with men would be used as." The spell did not stop him from being sarcastic, even if he was telling the truth.  
  
Ron's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, practically when the Death Eater said this.  
  
"And you haven't 'visited' them yet?" Ron took over now, his sharp voice laced with fury.  
  
"No, after some of the things I've heard that have happened to the others, I won't ever. I value my life."  
  
"What happened to the other Death Eaters?" Ron was genuinely curious about what had caused some of them to stay away from his sister and Hermione.  
  
"Well, some of the men come out with injuries that have surpassed that of some of the bar fights I've seen."  
  
"You mean their fighting them off?" Harry was stunned that Hermione and Ginny could hold off so many of Voldemort's probably most ruthless advocates.  
  
"Supposedly so, although they have had their punishments for resistance."  
  
Ron's hands were at the man's neck and he was up off the ground in less than a second. "What kind of punishment?" His voice was voice was menacingly low.  
  
"Beatings and the Cruciatus Curse the most."  
  
"Oh, God." Ron dropped the man and pointed his wand at the again crumpled form of black. "13th corridor, 10th room on the left?"  
  
"Yes, I believe that young Malfoy was headed that way just fifteen minutes ago," the man gasped out, telling them this in hopes of being left out of harm's way. Death Eaters were not even eternally loyal to the Dark Lord. So why would they be to their fellow Death Eaters. They, like Voldemort, favored their own lives and would sell one another down the river in a second if it meant that they would be saved.  
  
At that, Ron bound the man with his wand and he and Harry looked up at the nearest corridor.  
  
"27. Figures. We don't even know if the 26th is on the right or left," Harry said.  
  
"You take left, I'll take right. Meet back here when you find out the next corridor's number."  
  
"Right. Be back here in a few minutes."  
  
Ron nodded to Harry and they ran as fast as they could in their assigned directions.  
  
  
  
Ron sprinted for about twenty seconds before coming to a hall marked '26'. He ran back and waited, somewhat upset for already passing Hermione and Ginny.  
  
Harry, however, did not find such luck. He almost passed the corridor marked '28' before running head long into two bulky figures that rivaled Ron's huge height and build.  
  
"Crabbe and Goyle." Harry figured this as they made low grunts as he ran into them. "For being such a well-trained War Auror, you sure are stupid, you great prat!" he berated himself.  
  
The two big gits must have recognized him as Harry Potter (but then again, who wouldn't with his trademark hair, glasses, and scar?), because they made clumsy grabs for him as he dodged out of the way and shot red sparks into the direction of Ron, but all two soon, his agile movements lost out to sheer brawn (not that he was so tiny himself, though) and he was in the clutched of the two stupid minions.  
  
  
  
Ron saw something red and shining zooming in his direction. Right before they came and pelted him in the stomach, he hit the floor. He let out a low growl and swear word that would have made Hermione and Ginny smack him upside the head and thanked God that he had his quick reflexes.  
  
He realized that red sparks only meant one thing and that was a request for assistance. He hurried to the left of the hall and came upon Harry being manhandled further down the corridor by two men that were as big as him. Each Death Eater had a hold on either of Harry's arms and were letting him walk by himself  
  
He came up from behind with his perfect stealth and saw Harry look back at him as the two grunted in triumph to one another. Harry's eyes widened in relief and he and Ron quickly, but silently, formulated a plan.  
  
Harry pulled up his legs to his chest so that Crabbe and Goyle were carrying him and shoved the hard heels of his heavy boots into the feet of each unsuspecting goon and they quickly dropped him.  
  
Ron had come up even closer from behind when Harry had done his part and they stood side by side. When the Death Eaters quite hopping around in pain they turned around to seek revenge but were swiftly greeted by fists in their faces. This once again disabled them and Harry and Ron took this as the time to magically bind and stun them, and also, due to their size, put a very powerful body bind on the both of them.  
  
Satisfied, Ron turned back to Harry.  
  
"26 is down this way, but we've got to hurry if Malfoy's there." Ron sounded near panic.  
  
All Harry could do was nod. They both were afraid of what would happen if they didn't get there in time and did not want to think about it.  
  
  
  
It took them only two minutes of breakneck speed to reached hall #13.  
  
They hastily counted the doors on the left and found ten, only to hear something going on inside.  
  
Ron and Harry's hearts sunk as they heard whimpers and the sounds of muffled crying that sounded distinctly like Ginny and Hermione's. They then heard Malfoy's voice ring through the near silence, "STOP THAT!" and then a smack, followed closely by another, and louder whimpers.  
  
That was all it took to set Ron off.  
  
The rage that had been building inside of him for the past few months, no the past seven years, towards Malfoy and Voldemort and anything that had ever tried to hurt Hermione, ever since Malfoy had first insulted her, Riddle petrifying her, the attacks to the kidnapping, and all the other incidents involving the two, burst through him at that moment and it all flowed through his wand.  
  
  
  
The blinding red light that shot through the door and expertly at Malfoy, blew the door into splinters and Malfoy into the wall next to the bed.  
  
Ron stepped through the door, more infuriated than ever before, a look of pure hatred on his face. Harry stepped in behind him, looking increasingly irate, if not downright pissed off.  
  
Ron turned his wand on Malfoy with a hasty look at the bed, where Hermione, with her robes half way open, and Ginny lay still, becoming more upset by the moment. Not even Ron thought he could be this angry!  
  
The black heap on the floor lay unmoving.  
  
Harry turned to the bed after seeing that Ron had his wand on the deathly still lump that was Malfoy, and said the counter curse to the Full Body- Bind. Ginny sat straight up with her eyes darting around and breathing heavily before launching herself into Harry's arms.  
  
Hermione, however, turned to Ron. For the first time in her seven years of knowing Ronald Weasely, she was deathly scared of him. He looked very different. She never knew that someone could change over the course of a month. He looked bigger than ever before. He must have done some kind of physical labor again. The look on his face was barbaric and savage, one to rival Voldmort's. It immensely scared her to see the enraged look on his face and to know that he was second from killing Malfoy, which could easily land him in Azkaban. She could never let this happen and had to do something but couldn't think of anything. For once in her life, she couldn't do anything to stop Ron. He had always put up resistance to her pleas, but always eventually had agreed to stop whatever he was going to do. Now, all she could do was quietly say his name.  
  
  
  
He heard it. Not more than a shaky, feeble whisper spoke his name. He spun around, not thinking to remove the glare from his face or fire from his eyes, but when the first thing he saw was Hermione's tear-streaked face flinch, he considerably softened his gaze. He lowered his wand and stared at her, while she in return looked at him.  
  
He, still being a boy with hormones, looked to her half open, tight fitting, green robes.  
  
She noticed this and closed her robes, looking at him with a half glare and half frightened look. He then realized that she as afraid of him. Him! How could she ever be afraid of him? He could never hurt her or anything she loved. All he wanted to do was protect her!  
  
Then he looked down at himself. "If looks could kill," he thought. He was a gigantic, fully-grown man and fully trained wizard (even at eighteen) that had just blown a door to bits and probably looked ready to kill with his wand and the look on his face.  
  
He couldn't let her be afraid of him.  
  
He moved slowly. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. This hurt him beyond anything. He made it to her side of the bed and bent down.  
  
He circled his arms around her waist and felt her tense up. She relaxed, however, when he lifted her up into a tight embrace.  
  
She could never have been happier. She didn't know how she could ever have been afraid of him as she circled her arms around his thick neck and felt him squeeze her gently, but tighter.  
  
He would never let her go again as she hugged his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his shoulder and feel the hiccoughs that racked her body to signal that she had been crying hard before. He felt a fresh wave of anger rise in him once more as he thought of what Malfoy and the other had done to her.  
  
He was fully aware of the funny feeling in his stomach and chest, which felt like a vice, when she was around him. And also the strange need to protect her from everything. He was also aware of what these feelings meant. He just didn't want to be rejected. After that night in the common room when he kissed her, he could never be rejected like that again. But now, after all this, he threw caution to the wind and acknowledged his feelings.  
  
"I love you." It was said in a husky whisper, even for his deep voice.  
  
Hermione jumped at the confession, startled, but quickly recovered and returned his sentiments.  
  
Ron nearly dropped Hermione when she didn't say anything right away, but nearly dropped her again when he heard a small voice say, "I love you, too," into his ear.  
  
She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his blue eyes. They were so full of love and adoration, it overwhelmed her. She leaned forward, still being held off the ground and crushed her lips onto his. It was a kiss that said everything that had been needed to be said for the past seven years.  
  
  
  
Harry and Ginny watched all of this, with Ginny still sitting in Harry's arms as he hugged her tighter. They both smiled as they heard Hermione and Ron say the three words that both of them had desperately wanted to hear from each other for such a long time now.  
  
  
  
No one noticed Malfoy wake and collect his wand while still lying on the floor. He looked up carefully to see a mass of black, green, brown, and red clashed together, and figured it was that damn Mudblood and Weasel. He then saw Potter and the little Weaslette, looking on not ten feet away from the others.  
  
He smiled for the distraction and swiftly, but quietly, stood up. He pointed his wand at the back of Ron's fiery red head.  
  
Ron, however, fully anticipated his attack and had slipped Hermione's wand into her robe. He carefully and barely whispered, "You have your wand, do not look back at Malfoy, he is ready to strike." Hermione slightly nodded.  
  
Harry, having the same training, did the same to Ginny. The boys still had their wands in hand thankfully.  
  
"Well, if it isn't Potter and his sidekick Weasel?" drawled an unpleasant voice.  
  
Ron slowly put Hermione back down and slid his wand up his sleeve before turning to face Malfoy's wand directly pointed at his face. He placed himself in front of Hermione and she retrieved her wand. Harry let Ginny down slowly, but did not let her go.  
  
"Give me your wand, Potter. Now, if you don't want to loose the only friends you ever had."  
  
Harry looked at Ron and let go of Ginny. He threw his wand to Malfoy who caught it in his hand and before turning his wand on Hermione. "Now you, Weasley."  
  
"Don't do it, Ron. He'll just hand us all over to You-Know-Who," she pleaded.  
  
Ron did it anyways. Hermione knew that her plea would never work. He would never endanger her life, just like she wouldn't his. But she still didn't know about his spare wand.  
  
"Good, now I think, before I send you all to the Dark Lord, I shall have some fun punishing you all," he said as a mad man's grin crept onto his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N - I know what you're going to say. Too sappy. I know, I know. And not enough action. I'm still trying to get grip on this though, so deal with me for a while. I'll update soon, don't worry. At least you got a little more action, right? *Sighs in self-disgust* Oh, well. Tell me what you think. I also realized something though. It's titles Saving Hermione, but the idea of including Ginny came later so the title is actually messed up, but I'm not going to change it since this is mostly a R/Hr story. Thanks for reading! 


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